17.05.2026 09:31
The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest took place under the shadow of protests and boycott decisions due to Israel's participation. During the final night, the Israeli representative was protested with Palestinian flags, while Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia did not participate. The contest was won by the Bulgarian representative, Dara.
On the other hand, Israel was heard being booed when the audience votes were announced.
SPAIN AND BELGIUM SHOW SUPPORT FOR GAZA
Spain's state television RTVE, protesting Israel's participation, called for "peace and justice for Palestine" coinciding with the start of Eurovision 2026, which it did not attend this year.
RTVE, which did not broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest live this year, released a message simultaneous with the start of the contest, briefly blackening its screen and displaying the message "Eurovision is a competition, human rights are not. No room for indifference. Peace and justice for Palestine" in Spanish and English.
Belgium's Flemish public broadcaster VRT announced that if the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) does not change its stance on participation policies for the Eurovision Song Contest, it may not send an artist to the competition next year.
ISRAEL'S PARTICIPATION PROTESTED IN VIENNA BEFORE THE FINAL
Hours before the Eurovision final, more than 1,000 Palestine supporters gathered at Christian Broda Square in Vienna. Protesters, demonstrating against Israel's participation in the contest, marched near the Wiener Stadthalle where Eurovision was held.
Carrying banners reading "Israel, killer of children and people" and "Don't celebrate genocide," the protesters chanted slogans such as "Boycott Israel" and "No stage for genocide" during the march.
Numerous international activists, artists, and civil society representatives, in their speeches at the protest, called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to bar Israel from the competition.
Activists delivering messages of support for Palestine emphasized the need for sanctions against Israel, for countries, especially Austria, to end all political, economic, and military cooperation with Israel, and to stop the genocide in Gaza.
ALTERNATIVE CONCERT ORGANIZED IN RESPONSE TO ISRAEL'S PARTICIPATION
On Friday, a concert titled "Song Protest - No Stage for Genocide" was held at Maria-Theresien Square in the capital, with numerous international artists and activists participating.
The concert, aimed at making visible the reactions to Israel's participation in Eurovision and sending a message of support for Palestine, featured performances drawing attention to the genocide, occupation, and humanitarian situation in Gaza.
As part of the event, many activists, journalists, and artists delivered speeches expressing solidarity against Israel's genocide in Gaza.
Speakers criticized the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for not barring Israel, which is committing genocide.
ISRAELI SINGER PROTESTED WITH CHANT "STOP THE GENOCIDE"
Israeli singer Bettan, who performed in the first semi-final of the contest on May 12, was also protested with chants of "stop the genocide." Some audience members opened Palestinian flags to show solidarity with the people of Gaza suffering from Israel's genocide.
Protesters, who wrote "Free Palestine" on themselves, drew Palestinian flags, and chanted "stop the genocide," were forcibly removed from the hall.
Before the semi-final, pro-Palestine demonstrations were also held on the streets of the capital, Vienna.
SIGNIFICANT DROP IN EUROVISION VIEWERSHIP
Meanwhile, viewership numbers for the contest, which continued under the shadow of boycott decisions due to Israel's participation, have declined.
In Italy, the number of viewers watching the first semi-final broadcast on state television RAI was 1,856,000. The viewer count announced last year in the country was 2,489,000, highlighting a significant decrease this year.
In the Netherlands, which decided to boycott due to Israel's participation, viewership dropped by 42 percent compared to 2025. Yesterday's first semi-final was watched by an average of 541,000 viewers. This makes the semi-final the least-watched contest in the Netherlands since the first semi-final in 2012.
Compared to last year, the first semi-final of this year's contest was watched by 253,000 fewer in the UK, 316,000 fewer in Sweden, and approximately 430,000 fewer in Belgium.