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Posted on 05/08/2025 12:21:27 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Irish national broadcaster RTÉ director general said he was "appalled by the ongoing events in the Middle East and by the horrific impact on civilians in Gaza, and the fate of Israeli hostages."
Irish national broadcaster RTÉ has asked the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for discussions over Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The contest, which is hosted by the EBU, will begin on 13 May in Switzerland with the final on 17 May.
Despite calls for a boycott, Israel will compete this year with singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the 7 October 2023 attack. She was at the Nova music festival where 360 people were killed.
RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said he was “appalled by the ongoing events in the Middle East and by the horrific impact on civilians in Gaza, and the fate of Israeli hostages”, and added that he requested a discussion “notwithstanding the fact that the criterion for participating” is membership of EBU.
Bakhurst said he was aware of RTÉ’s responsibility to “maintain objectivity in covering the war in Gaza”, continuing: “We are also very mindful of the severe political pressure on Israel’s public service broadcaster, KAN, from the Israeli government.”
The director of Eurovision, Martin Green, responded in a statement saying that no broadcaster has “publicly opposed” Israel’s participation, though broadcasters from Spain and Slovenia had also requested a discussion.
Green added: “The EBU is not immune to global events but, together, with our members, it is our role to ensure the contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music. We all aspire to keep the Eurovision Song Contest positive and inclusive and aspire to show the world as it could be, rather than how it necessarily is.”
Alongside RTÉ’s request, more than 70 former Eurovision contestants have signed an open letter calling for Israel and its national broadcaster KAN to be banned from this year’s competition.
The letter reads: letter reads: “[We] urge all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to demand the exclusion of KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, from the Eurovision Song Contest. KAN is complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.”
“By continuing to platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes,” the letter continues. “The EBU has already demonstrated that it is capable of taking measures, as in 2022, when it expelled Russia from the competition. We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.”
“As singers, songwriters, musicians and others who have had the privilege of participating in Eurovision, we urge the EBU and all its member broadcasters to act now and prevent further discredit and disruption to the festival: Israel must be excluded from Eurovision.”
You can read the letter in full on Artists For Palestine UK’s website here.
There were several campaigns to block Israel from taking part in the Eurovision song contest last year, but the EBU ruled Israel was allowed to compete – provided the country’s contestant amended her song 'October Rain' due to its perceived lyrical references to the 7 October attacks.
KAN received heavy criticism last year for its delegation’s alleged treatment of contestants – specifically Irish contestant Bambie Thug, who accused the network of “inciting violence” against her.
The grand final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday 17 May. The semi-finals take place on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 May.
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Ah yes, Ireland, the country that was neutral during WWII and signed Hitler’s condolence book at the German Embassy.
Today, Ireland is more British than the British.
The Irish do love their terrorists. Its in their blood...
And having succeeded in destroying Ireland those same Maoists are trying to destroy Poland and Hungary.
Ireland is getting overrun with third world hellhole types as bas as Britain.
This is what I don’t understand.
Ireland is being invaded by hordes of military aged males from Africa and the Middle East while at least a subset of Irish are quite vocal about their objections to Israel.
Israel is on another continent, was at war since most of us were around and will be after we die.
Ireland needs to focus on its own, serious problems, not on someone else’s.
The IRA worked with the PLO and many there still support the “palestinians”. Ireland is full of anti-Semites. Thems the facts...
Despite calls for a boycott, Israel will compete this year with singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the 7 October 2023 attack. She was at the Nova music festival where 360 people were killed.
The only person whom I like to hear singing is me.
‘KAN is complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians, in Gaza, “
You just can’t get any more assinine that that,
would require that the IDF was/is less capable, competent, lethal than The Childrens’ Crusade.
Hmmm. I don’t like hearing myself sing at all. Not sure it really qualifies as singing.
Irish hatred of the English - more specifically Eamon de Valera’s hatred of the English - overrode everything. But many Irish served in the RN and RA.
My voice is alright, but not stupid-star great. Taylor Swift, Madonna, In Stink and the rest, are simply vile.
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