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Eurovision boycott: We cannot participate in an event that lets Israel ‘artwash’ its crimes

It is clear that Israel sees Eurovision as a platform on which to normalise its crimes, presenting a ‘fun’ face even as it wages a war that has taken the lives of at least 34,000 people

Bambie Thug
Bambie Thug
Zoe Lawlor
Tue Apr 30 2024 - 06:00

Should Ireland boycott Eurovision 2024? As the bombs rain down on Gaza, yes. As the population of Gaza is starved, yes. As Palestinians are subjected to extreme violence, mass incarceration and ethnic cleansing, yes. As Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for a plausible case of genocide, yes. As Israel practises the crime of apartheid, yes. As we watch in horror and grief what is, ICJ deliberations notwithstanding, clearly the live-streamed genocide of the Palestinian people, we cannot countenance any Irish representation in a global competition that allows Israel a platform on which to “artwash” its endless war crimes.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding member of the Palestinian-led global BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, have called for Israel to be expelled from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Since the EBU refuses to ban Israel, even as it is under investigation for plausible genocide, the call is for national broadcasters to withdraw from the contest. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign has written to RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst and the RTÉ Board, asking them to respect the Palestinian boycott call. Members of the public have participated in this campaign in large numbers, illustrating that there is significant support in Ireland for boycotting Eurovision with more than 16,500 people signing a petition calling for the exclusion of Israel.

More than 400 Irish artists have written to Bambie Thug asking them to withdraw from the contest, as have the Irish Coalition to Boycott Eurovision 2024, arts collectives and Queers for Palestine. Venues are cancelling Eurovision screenings, hosting genocide-free evenings and fundraisers for Gaza instead. Arts and solidarity groups are holding Alternative Eurovision gigs such as Shine On Palestine, with stellar line-ups, in Galway and Dublin.

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The argument against the cultural boycott of Israel that art and politics shouldn’t mix is often made – as if art cannot be, and isn’t, political, as if we can compartmentalise our lives and practices. We know that Israel instrumentalises culture to artwash its crimes against the Palestinian people. In February when the EBU was scrutinising the lyrics of its entry, Israeli president Yitzhak Herzog stated “it’s important for Israel to appear in Eurovision”.

Subsequently, at the request of Herzog, Israeli broadcaster Kan agreed to change the lyrics of the submission to Eurovision due to this scrutiny, saying: “The president emphasised that at this time in particular, when those who hate us seek to push aside and boycott the state of Israel from every stage, Israel must sound its voice with pride and its head high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year.” It is clear that Israel sees Eurovision as a platform to normalise its crimes, presenting a “fun” face even as it wages a war that has stolen the lives of at least 34,000 people, including more than 14,500 children.

In response to the calls to boycott, Bambie Thug said: “My heart and solidarity has and will always lie with the oppressed”, but by sharing a stage with the representatives of a state committing genocide, they will be ignoring the voice of the oppressed.

For almost seven months, all around this country, people have come out in their thousands to express their rejection of Israel’s mass murder, mass disabling and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. They know that there can be no equivocation at a time when Israel is being investigated for genocide. By boycotting Eurovision, RTÉ and Bambie Thug would be upholding our proud tradition of standing against South African apartheid, they would be on the right side of history.

There is an alternative to Eurovision and there is an alternative to genocide – that is freedom, justice and equality for the Palestinian people. This is a significant moment of history, and Ireland needs to make a principled stand.

Zoë Lawlor is chairperson and cultural liaison of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC)