Recommendations of the Editorial team
It is still far from clear in what form the ESC finals will take place in Vienna next year. Several countries, most recently Iceland, are boycotting the 2026 competition because of the controversial participation of an Israeli musician. While the German preliminary rounds are on track under the aegis of Südwest Rundfunk (SWR) and the new Swabian production company Kimmig Entertainment (“Understand Fun”, “Immer Wieder Sonntags”), there are always new disruptions across Europe. It will be interesting to see how the “German Finale” taking place at the end of February 2026 positions itself on this political issue.
Nemo announces return of the trophy
The Swiss ESC Cup winner Nemo has announced that he will return the trophy he won in Malmö, Sweden, with a grand gesture. “It’s about the fact that the competition was repeatedly used to improve the image of a state that is accused of serious misconduct,” announced the non-binary voice acrobat on his Instagram account.
The 26-year-old pointed out that an investigative commission of the UN Human Rights Council concluded that Israel’s authorities and security forces had committed genocide in the Gaza Strip. According to the ESC organizers, the event stands for unity, inclusion and dignity. But Israel’s participation shows a conflict between these values and the decisions of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said Nemo. Israel’s Foreign Ministry has categorically rejected the UN body’s accusation and accused the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas of genocidal intentions against Israel.
Five countries are boycotting the ESC 2026
The EBU member broadcasters cleared the way for Israel’s participation at a meeting in Geneva last week. In response, broadcasters from Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and now Iceland do not want to send artists to the Danube metropolis in May 2026.
Nemo announced in his message that he would send the cup back to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva. “If the values we celebrate on stage are not lived off stage, even the most beautiful songs become meaningless,” he writes in his plainly designed online message.
It also says in English: “I will always be grateful to the Eurovision community, the fans who voted, the artists with whom I shared the stage and the experiences that shaped me as a person and musician. This decision is based on my commitment to the values that Eurovision stands for, and not on a rejection of the people who make this competition so special. Music still connects us. That has not changed.”
ESC director tries to smooth things over
Increasingly pushed into the defensive, the organizers are trying to smooth things over with a letter to the fans. The director of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green, released a statement on Thursday (December 11th). He knows very well, it says, that the events in the Middle East in connection with the ESC caused strong emotions for many people. Some expressed anger and pain in letters because, in their opinion, there was silence about the tragic events.
“I want to say that we hear you. We understand your feelings, and it touches us just the same,” he said. Green also addressed the viewers in the five ESC boycott countries so far: “All of us here respect their position and decision.” He hoped that the broadcasters would return to the ESC community as soon as possible. In a divided world, the Neo-Schlager competition has the task of “offering a space in which millions of people can celebrate what they have in common.”
Self-promoter Nemo sees it completely differently
As a figure in the 2024 finals that has long since been ticked off, it would be advisable for him to simply focus on his art. His album “Arthouse”, released in October 2025, can be described as a cauldron of color. A sweet pop candy. Pretty nice, but nothing the world really needs.
Perhaps he should maintain his aversion to Israel essentially privately, which he is of course expressly permitted to do. But why he is now bringing himself back into the limelight through a digital sniper campaign is his secret. In this way, at some point there will be nothing left of the music creator. He will go down in the annals of the ESC as Boycott Hansel. Have fun with it.