Calls for Eurovision boycott ahead of Ireland's Eurosong competition
The favourite act to win tonight's Eurosong, Erica Cody, has said that she believes Israel should be excluded. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Calls for Ireland to boycott Eurovision 2024 are growing ahead of Friday night's Eurosong contest.
The Late Late Eurosong Special will see one act named as Ireland's entry for this year's competition.
Six acts will perform — Ailsha, Isabella Kearney, Erica Cody, JyellowL and Toshín, Bambie Thug, and Next in Line — and the winner will be chosen by a combination of jury and public votes.
They will go on to the semi-finals, and possibly the Grand Final, in Malmö, Sweden in May.
However, a growing number of people are calling for Ireland to boycott the Eurovision over its inclusion of Israel amid the war in Gaza.
Russia was excluded from participating in the contest in 2022 due to the invasion of Ukraine.
In response, Russia announced its intention to suspend its membership in the European Broadcasting Union. Their participation in further Eurovision events will not happen until their membership is resumed.
A petition asking RTÉ to boycott Eurovision 2024 has amassed almost 3,000 signatures.
"If RTÉ participates in Eurovision with Israel in the competition they make licence payers of Ireland complicit in condoning the killing of more than 18,000 men, women children of Gaza," wrote Olivia O'Sullivan, who launched the Change.org petition.
Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) chairperson, Zoë Lawlor, said that they had called for a boycott of the Eurovision in 2019 due to its actions in Gaza.
That campaign had support from Irish artists, including former Eurovision participants, trade unions, LGBTQ+ organisations and others, she said.
Ms Lawlor said it is unthinkable that Israel should be permitted to be part of the Eurovision song contest given all that has happened in recent months.
The Israeli offensive has come at a high humanitarian cost for Gaza residents. More than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed, the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Friday, and more than 64,000 people have been wounded.
"As Palestinians bury their children, surrounded by the rubble of their homes, lives and their dreams, Israel must be shown that there is no business as usual with a state perpetrating countless war crimes, every day," said Ms Lawlor.
"Failing the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) expelling Israel, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign will join a worldwide campaign calling for a boycott of Eurovision 2024."
Separately, Irish Artists for Palestine launched an online petition calling on Ireland to demand the exclusion of Israel from the contest.
The group said: "The exclusion of Russia from Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine was hugely significant and demonstrated Eurovision's capacity to take an ethical stance on human rights.
"Martin Österdahl, Eurovision’s executive supervisor, previously spoke about this decision regarding Russia, stating, 'When we say we are not political, what we always should stand up for are the basic and ultimate values of democracy'."
The petition has received over 10,000 signatures in three days.
Ahead of tonight's Eurosong Special, host Patrick Kielty was asked for his views on whether Ireland should proceed with its entry.
It seems like that is a question for someone else, he said, adding he was not a decision-maker when it came to the Eurovision.
"What is going on in Gaza at the minute is heartbreaking. What happened in Israel was horrific," Mr Kielty said.
"I think that, like most people, I would like to see a ceasefire there as soon as we possibly can. I want to see humanitarian aid in there, I want to see hostages released.
"I want to see people in Gaza being able to live their lives in safety and people in Israel living in peace."
He added that, like others, he wanted to see a ceasefire, to see humanitarian aid reach those who need it and hostages released.
The favourite act to win tonight's Eurosong, Erica Cody, has said she believes Israel should be excluded.
"I don't stand behind genocide. I think it's an absolute disgrace. Eurovision is meant to be a celebration of life and music and acceptance and love," she said in a shared post on X, formerly known as Twitter, including a link to the Irish Artists for Palestine petition.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Cork singer Bambie Thug agreed there should not be one rule for Russia and another for Israel.
Speaking last month, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said withdrawing from any competition because Israel was there would be “biting off your nose to spite your face”, while Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he did not think such a boycott would have much impact.
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