A group of 400 actors, musicians and entertainment execs including Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber and Gene Simmons have penned an open letter supporting the decision for Israel to remain in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Released by non-profit industry org Creative Community for Peace, the letter backs the decision of Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to keep Israel in this year’s contest. The EBU has been under pressure from detractors to ban the nation over the bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ October 7 attacks.
Other signees include Scooter Braun, Boy George, Mayim Bialik, Haim Saban, Julianna Margulies, Sharon Osbourne and Debra Messing.
Punishing Israel would be an “inversion of justice,” the letter says. “Israel is fighting a war against a European Union-designated terrorist group that once again broke a ceasefire that day, and then went on to slaughter over 1,200 people,” it adds. “This current round of fighting is not a war that Israel wanted or started.” Read it in full below.
The letter adds that Israel has a “storied” history on Eurovision, having won the contest four times most recently in 2018. “Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics,” it reads.
Israel’s place at Eurovision has been challenged by The Finnish and Icelandic industries, with the former pressuring its local broadcaster to pull its entry if Israel isn’t removed. But the EBU has repeatedly held firm and insists that Israel’s conflict with Gaza is distinct from Russia’s with Ukraine, which has seen Russia banned for the past couple of years.
This year’s Eurovision will take place in Malmo in May. The UK will be represented by Years and Years’ Ollie Alexander but that move has also proved controversial as the It’s a Sin star recently signed a letter describing Israel as an “apartheid” state. In response, the Campaign Against Antisemitism said Alexander should be fired from his role as the UK’s Eurovision representative.
The letter in full
We, the undersigned members of the entertainment industry, are writing to express our support for Israel’s continued inclusion in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
We have been shocked and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
October 7th was a day in which a music festival meant to celebrate life was attacked by Hamas and saw 364 innocent civilians killed, hundreds maimed and brutalized, over 40 festivalgoers taken hostage, and many raped.
Israel is fighting a war against a European Union-designated terrorist group that once again broke a ceasefire that day, and then went on to slaughter over 1,200 people. This current round of fighting is not a war that Israel wanted or started. To punish Israel would be an inversion of justice.
Israel also has a long and storied history in Eurovision. This includes winning the Contest in 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018 and having a diverse group of contestants representing the country, including Palestinians, Ethiopians, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Israel then hosted the Contest in 1979, 1999, and 2019. In fact, Eurovision fans voted “Dare to Dream,” the 64th Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, the best Eurovision production of the decade.
Furthermore, we believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music.
The annual Eurovision Song Contest embodies this unifying spirit. Every year, millions of people across Europe and around the world join in a massive display of cultural exchange and celebration of music.
Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics.
We support all of this year’s contestants as well as your decision to reject the calls to expel Israel from the Contest. We are looking forward to a successful and exciting Eurovision 2024.