LONDON: Musicians in Iceland have demanded their country’s national broadcaster boycotts next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to compete.
The Icelandic Association of Composers and Lyricists said TV channel RUV should halt its participation in the show if Israel is not banned, it was reported on Monday.
A statement by the FTT said: “We all have a duty to take a stand against war and the killing of civilians and innocent children.
“We always have the choice not to put our name to such things, whether we are individuals or state institutions.
“We owe it to the nations that act with military force to not share with them in an event that is always characterized by joy and optimism.”
The calls for a boycott have been backed by pro-Palestinian activists across Europe, while Ireland’s RTE channel has also received hundreds of requests for it to boycott the competition, Sky News reported.
The grand final of the competition will take place on May 11 in Malmo, Sweden, after Swedish artist Loreen won the competition for a second time earlier this year.
Israeli Noa Kirel, who previously served in the Israel Defense Forces, came third in the 2023 competition, which was held in Liverpool in the UK.
Calls for Israel’s exclusion echo similar demands that Russia be banned from the 2022 edition, following its invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.
The show’s organizers, the European Broadcasting Union, excluded Russian artists from that year’s competition, which was won by Ukraine.
