Letter to Yle: Israel’s public broadcaster Kan continuously acts against the values of the European Broadcasting Union

BDS Finland has today, March 27, 2025, sent a letter to Yle, highlighting the repeated actions of the Israeli public broadcaster that go against the values of the EBU and Eurovision. The letter was originally written by BDS Iceland, and activists supporting the BDS movement in other European countries are also sending it to their national public broadcasters.

Dear Johanna Törn–Mangs, dear YLE Board Members,

We, members of the BDS Finland group, appeal to you to ensure that YLE supports the exclusion of Israel’s public broadcaster Kan from the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. We are part of the Palestinian-led Boycott Divest Sanctions movement, which is calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to exclude Israel from Eurovision. BDS groups in other Nordic countries have made the same request to their respective public broadcasters.

In 2022, YLE was among the broadcasters that demanded the EBU exclude Russia’s public broadcaster from Eurovision. The EBU ultimately made this decision based on the event’s rules and values, following a recommendation by Eurovision’s governing body, the Reference Group. The decision was also supported by the EBU Television Committee. The rationale was clear: Russia’s participation during the war in Ukraine would damage Eurovision’s reputation.

The same concerns now apply to Kan. Kan has repeatedly aired content that blatantly contradicts the core values of the EBU and Eurovision. By allowing Kan to participate, the EBU not only fails to uphold its own principles but also damages its credibility—just as it was determined would happen if Russia had been allowed to participate in 2022.

Kan’s participation damages Eurovision’s reputation

Eurovision is an international event that should unite audiences and promote togetherness through music. In its statement about Russia’s exclusion, the EBU emphasized that it is an “apolitical member organization” and that Eurovision is intended to be a cultural competition promoting international dialogue, understanding, and diversity.

Kan’s participation blatantly contradicts these principles and threatens the competition’s reputation and the credibility of its values in the following ways:

Kan seeks to justify and normalize war crimes

Kan has aired content that attempts to justify and downplay the seriousness of war crimes such as forced displacement and violence against civilians. Such state propaganda does not align with Eurovision’s mission as a platform for peace and unity.

Kan promotes the dehumanization of an entire population

Kan has repeatedly portrayed Palestinians as a threat, as criminals, or as terrorists, fueling and normalizing violence against them. Enabling Kan’s conduct undermines Eurovision’s credibility—the same reason the EBU excluded Russia from the contest in 2022.

Kan spreads propaganda contrary to the spirit of Eurovision

Eurovision must remain a platform for cultural exchange, not a venue for public broadcasters that justify violence and occupation.

Kan violates the core values of the EBU

In addition to harming Eurovision’s reputation, Kan systematically violates the fundamental values that the EBU and Eurovision claim to uphold.

Examples of material Kan has published or shared include:

●  Providing a platform for calls to forced expulsion and genocide

o   Kan aired a program titled “Gaza – Kingdom of Terror: How the Strip became the center of the conflict in the Middle East” which examines forced displacement— not as the serious war crime it is—but rather as legitimate operation in armed conflict (link).

o   Interview with a professor who openly advocates for mass expulsions and the killing of civilians who refuse to leave Gaza (link, link).

●  Providing a platform for lighthearted jokes and sarcastic commentary on actions that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

o   A comedy show in which a well-known TV personality expresses disappointment that the military’s actions in Gaza are not enough to constitute genocide (link).

o   A video showing the IDF using machinery to demolish a house in Gaza, captioned “A small push – and a crash…” depicting the destruction as trivial, yet it is central to the ongoing ICJ case, where it may fall under the definition of genocide (link).

●  Glorifying violence against civilians

o   A Kan anchor dedicates bombs to the “people of Gaza” (link).

o   A Kan broadcast featured a children’s choir singing about “annihilating everyone” (link, link).

●  Portraying Palestinians as inherently violent and dangerous

o   An interview with a developer in an illegal West Bank settlement who justifies segregation of Jews and Palestinians, i.e., the crime of apartheid, and states that he refuses to hire Palestinians because they want to kill Jews (link).

o   A Kan interview with an Israeli soldier framed Palestinians as sexual deviants and a security threat,° further dehumanizing an entire population (link).

o   Kan claims that pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and his colleagues are terrorists. This rhetoric dehumanizes healthcare workers and serves to justify military operations that cripple Gaza’s healthcare system—the lifeline of its civilians (link).

These broadcasts cannot be ignored. They constitute a clear and systematic violation of the principles Eurovision claims to stand for.

The precedent is clear: Kan must be excluded

When the EBU excluded Russia, it consulted with its member broadcasters and concluded that Russia’s participation would irreparably damage Eurovision. The same standard must now be applied to Kan.

We call on YLE to:

• Submit an official request to the EBU, the Reference Group, and the Eurovision Television Committee for the removal of Kan from the contest. Work together with other European broadcasters.

Ensuring consistency in Eurovision’s standards

We expect YLE to act with the same moral and ethical integrity as in 2022 and ensure that Eurovision does not become a platform for participants whose actions contradict the contest’s values.

Eurovision is more than a competition—it is a moment of joy that brings families and friends together across Europe and beyond. To preserve its role as a platform for solidarity, diversity, and peace, Kan must be excluded.

In 2022, YLE stated in a press release:

“YLE cannot take part in an event where Russia, which has blatantly attacked these values, is allowed to use one of Europe’s most well-known brands to promote its own agenda.”

Act now in 2025 in the same spirit—and be prepared to withdraw from Eurovision if Israel participates. We trust that you will take this matter seriously and demonstrate that Eurovision’s values are not based on double standards.

With best regards,

BDS Finland