Belgian artists publish open letter asking that Israel be barred from Eurovision
An open letter signed by some 200 Belgian artists, writers and musicians was addressed to the European Broadcasting Union to ask that Israel not be allowed to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest next month due to the war being waged in Gaza
Nearly 200 artists, writers and others working in Belgium’s cultural sector have published an open letter asking that Israel be barred from taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest next month. The semi-finals of Eurovision take place on 7 and 9 May, with the big finale being broadcast from out of Malmö, Sweden, on 11 May.
The letter was signed by many cultural sector heavyweights such as singers Daan and Charlotte Adigéry, writer Tom Lanoye and jazz pianist Jef Neve. It follows a similar effort from the Swedish music industry asking for Swedish public broadcaster SVT to ban Israel from the contest this year. The Dutch cultural sector has also published an open letter with the same request.
In 2022, the EBU excluded Russia from the festival due to the invasion of Ukraine. So why the double standard now?
Belgium’s letter is addressed to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, as well as to Belgium’s public broadcasters VRT and RTBF. “At this moment, the Israeli military has killed over 31,000 Palestinians, including 13,000 children,” reads the letter. “The Palestinian population is displace and living in dehumanising conditions.”
The letter goes on to take VRT to task for “following EBU’s lead” by responding that Eurovision is not political and seeks to unify countries. “In 2022, the EBU was able to make a political decision when it excluded Russia from the festival due to the invasion of Ukraine,” reads the letter. “So why the double standard now? Claiming that the festival is ‘non-political’ above all demonstrates that the public broadcaster would rather offer a platform to a state responsible for 31,000 deaths than signal against such atrocities. They prefer not to lose viewers or good connections with the Israeli broadcaster rather than speak out against a genocide.”
The letter ends with a request for the EBU, VRT and RTBF to “reverse their decision” and “not allow Israel to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden in 2024.”
Anyone can add their name to Belgium’s letter and see a list of everyone who has signed so far. The number of signatories is now more than 300.