Germany鈥檚 culture minister on Saturday slammed threats by several European countries to boycott next year鈥檚 Eurovision song contest if Israel took part as politicising a cultural event.
Spain said this week it would boycott the world鈥檚 largest live televised music event in May if Israel participated, and Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have made similar threats.
鈥楨urovision was founded to bring nations together through music. Excluding Israel today goes against this fundamental idea and turns a celebration of understanding between peoples into a tribunal,鈥� said Wolfram Weimer in a statement.
鈥業t鈥檚 precisely because Eurovision was born on the ruins of war that it should not become a scene of exclusion.鈥�
Austria, which is hosting the next Eurovision, had on Friday expressed regret over the threats.
Other countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Finland are also considering a boycott and have time till December to decide.
鈥楨urovision is based on the principle that artists are judged on their art and not on their nationality. The culture of cancellation is not the solution鈥攖he solution is diversity and cohesion,鈥� Weimer said.
鈥業t鈥檚 precisely because Eurovision was born on the ruins of war that it should not become a scene of exclusion,鈥� he added.
The European Broadcasting Union, the organiser of Eurovision, is set to decide whether Israel will take part in the 2026 edition at its general assembly in December.
This year鈥檚 edition in Basel in Switzerland drew in 166 million viewers across 37 countries.
Pro-Palestinian activists protested in Malmo, Sweden in 2024 and in Basel in May over Israel鈥檚 participation amid its devastating offensive in Gaza.
The war was sparked by Hamas鈥檚 October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,174 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory鈥檚 health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.