Musicians urge Iceland to boycott Eurovision contest unless Israel banned

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) – An association of musicians in Iceland is urging the country to withdraw from the 2024 Eurovision contest unless Israel is banned from the competition.

The board of the Icelandic Society of Authors and Composers (FTT) is publicly calling on Iceland’s public broadcaster RUV not to take part in the song contest “unless Israel is denied participation in the competition on the same grounds as Russia in the last competition,” FTT’s General Director Stefan Eiriksson stated in a letter sent to RUV.

“We all have a duty to take a stand against war and the killing of civilians and innocent children,” Eiriksson said.

“We owe it to those nations that act with force through military might not to share the stage in an event that is always characterized by joy and optimism,” added Eiriksson.

Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 18,412 Palestinians have been killed and 50,100 injured in the Israeli onslaught since then, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

More than 70% of the victims are Palestinian women and children.

Russia was barred from the Eurovision Song Contest held in Turin, Italy after neighboring Finland threatened to pull out their performer unless Russia was banned due to Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine that same year.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which organizes the show prevented the country from participating in future competitions.

Iceland was fined by the EBU after its Eurovision act Hatari raised Palestinian flags during their appearance on the show held in Israel in 2019.

The 2024 Eurovision Contest will take place in Malmo, Sweden, on May 11.