The UK’s four Green Parties have issued a joint call urging the BBC to boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate.
In a letter to BBC Director-General Tim Davie, the Scottish Greens, Green Party of England and Wales, Welsh Green Party, and Green Party of Northern Ireland warned that allowing Israel’s state broadcaster to take part would be incompatible with the event’s values of “peace, unity, and shared humanity.”
The parties cited the ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians and injured over 160,000 since October 2023.
UN experts have said Israel’s actions “bear the hallmarks of genocide,” while humanitarian organisations continue to raise alarm over the scale of destruction.
Ross Greer, Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens, said cultural boycotts have proven effective before.
“We’ve been here before,” said Greer.
“In the fight against apartheid South Africa, cultural boycotts were vital in telling oppressive regimes they would not be normalised.
“The same principle applies today.”
Greer added:
“Israel must not be allowed to use Eurovision as a platform to launder its reputation while committing atrocities.”
The letter also highlights that Gaza is now the deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded.
More reporters have been killed there in the last two years than in all other global conflicts combined over the previous three years.
Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said:
“Eurovision is supposed to stand for peace, shared humanity and a lot of fun.
“Those values cannot coexist with complicity in genocide.”
He pointed to broadcasters across Europe already taking action.
Ireland’s RTÉ and Slovenia’s RTVSLO have said they will withdraw if Israel participates, Spain’s Culture Minister has called for action, and Iceland is consulting the public on its response.
“The BBC cannot stay neutral in genocide,” said Polanski.
Malachai O’Hara, Leader of the Green Party of Northern Ireland, called it “a moment for moral clarity,” while Anthony Slaughter of the Welsh Greens said: “The time to act is now.”
The joint letter ends with a stark call to the BBC:
“In the face of genocide, we urge you to act.”
FULL TEXT OF LETTER
Dear Mr Davie,
As leaders of the Green Party of England and Wales, Scottish Greens, and the Green Party of Northern Ireland, we are writing to urge the BBC to take a principled and urgent stand regarding the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 64,656 and wounded 163,503 Palestinians in Gaza. Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble. Families have been, and are being starved, displaced, and traumatised on an unimaginable scale. International experts, including UN officials, have warned repeatedly that Israel’s actions bear the hallmarks of genocide.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Israel’s War in Gaza is the deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded. More press members have been killed there in the past two years than were killed worldwide in the prior three years combined. This matters particularly for the BBC: to stand alongside Israel’s state broadcaster at Eurovision would be to ignore an unprecedented assault on journalism itself, an assault that has sought to silence those documenting the suffering.
Other broadcasters are already showing leadership. Ireland’s RTÉ and Slovenia’s RTVSLO have announced they will not take part in Eurovision if Israel participates. Spain’s Culture Minister has also raised this as a possibility, and Iceland is consulting on withdrawal. The BBC now faces a choice: will you make a bold and principled stance for peace, justice, and the defence of international law, or will you help legitimise a state that is committing atrocities against a trapped civilian population?
We have been here before. In the global struggle against apartheid South Africa, cultural and sporting boycotts were vital in sending a clear message: states that systemically oppress, kill, and dispossess cannot be normalised as members of the international community. The same principle must apply today.
The Eurovision Song Contest is supposed to celebrate peace, unity, and shared humanity. Those values cannot coexist whilst arming a genocide.
We therefore call on the BBC, in the strongest possible terms, to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel’s state broadcaster is permitted to participate.
In the face of genocide, we urge you to act.
Yours sincerely,
Ross Greer & Gillian Mackay, Co-Leaders, Scottish Greens
Malachai O’Hara, Leader, Green Party Northern Ireland
Zack Polanski, Leader, Green Party of England and Wales
Anthony Slaughter, Wales Green Party
