More than 1,400 artists and professionals have signed a petition demanding that Israel be excluded from the contest or that Finland withdraw its entry
A group of Finnish music industry professionals have launched a petition calling for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision Song Contest over its alleged “war crimes” in Gaza, where it has been bombing the Palestinian enclave for nearly three months, killing more than 20,000 people, mostly civilians, and displacing nearly 90 percent of its population.
The petition, which has been signed by more than 1,400 artists, musicians, composers, producers, managers, journalists, and activists, urges the public broadcaster Yle, which is responsible for Finland’s participation in the contest, to withdraw its entry from the competition if Israel is not excluded by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizer of the contest.
The petition, which was initiated by the Finnish Musicians’ Union and the Finnish Composers’ Copyright Society, states that Israel’s participation in the contest is “incompatible with the values and the principles of Eurovision, which are based on diversity, inclusion, and human rights”.
The petition also states that Israel’s participation in the contest is “an insult and an injury to the Palestinian people, who are suffering under the Israeli occupation and oppression, and who are denied their basic rights and dignity”.
It also states that Israel’s participation in the contest is “a mockery and a provocation to the international community, which has condemned Israel’s violations of human rights and international law, and which has called for an end to the occupation and the siege, and for the recognition of the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood”.
The petition also states that Israel’s participation in the contest is “a threat and a danger to the peace and the stability of the region, and to the prospects of a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.
It is “a shame and a disgrace to the Finnish people, who are known for their solidarity and their support for the oppressed and the marginalized, and who have a long and proud history of resisting injustice and tyranny”.
The petition continues that Israel’s participation in the contest is “a betrayal and a failure of the Finnish government, which has pledged to uphold and to promote the values and the interests of the European Union, which are based on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law”.
The petition also states that Israel’s participation in the contest is “a waste and a loss of the Finnish taxpayers’ money, which could be better spent on more worthy and meaningful causes, such as the humanitarian and the development aid for the Palestinian people”.
The petition also states that the signatories are “not against Israel or the Israeli people, but against the Israeli government and its policies, and that they are not anti-Semitic, but anti-occupation, and that they are not boycotting the culture, but the oppression, and that they are not against the music, but against the violence”.
It also states that the signatories are “appealing to the conscience and the responsibility of Yle and the EBU, to listen and to respond to their demand, and to make the right and the moral decision, to ban Israel from Eurovision or to withdraw Finland from Eurovision”.
The petition also states that the signatories are “hoping and praying that their demand will be heard and met, and that their initiative will contribute to the end of the war and the suffering in Gaza and Israel, and to the achievement of a peaceful and a harmonious coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, and between all the peoples of the region”.
Yle has said that it is monitoring the position of the EBU, which has not yet commented on the petition or the possibility of excluding Israel from the contest.
Yle has also said that it is aware of the controversy and the criticism surrounding Israel’s participation in the contest, but that it is committed to the rules and the regulations of Eurovision, which are based on the principle of “non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries”.
