Boycott Israel in Eurovision
In 2022, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yleisradio) demanded that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) exclude Russia from the Eurovision Song Contest after the country launched a war of aggression against Ukraine. At the time, Yle found it impossible to participate in a competition where Russia would be allowed to use Eurovision to further its own interests.
In 2025, Israel continues the attacks on Gaza that it began in October 2023. During this time, Israel has reportedly killed over 50,000 and injured over 113,000 Palestinians, with the actual number of victims likely being even higher. According to a research by Amnesty International, Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and a UN Special Committee has also stated that Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza are consistent with genocide. Moreover, Israel has been illegally occupying Palestine for decades and is committing apartheid against Palestinians. Despite all this, Yle is participating in the Eurovision Song Contest alongside Israel.
It goes against our values to allow a state guilty of genocide and occupation to use a prominent cultural event to improve its image under the guise of music. By participating alongside Israel, other countries implicitly endorse its actions. Therefore, we appeal to Yle to demand that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) excludes Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest. If the EBU allows Israel’s participation we demand Yle to boycott the competition and refrain from sending the UMK winner to Eurovision 2025.
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