Finnish Music Professionals Petition to Exclude Israel from Eurovision

Credit: Unspalsh

Over 1,400 Finnish music industry professionals call for Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Over 1,400 Finnish music industry professionals have signed a petition urging the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest due to alleged “war crimes” in Gaza. Should Israel not be excluded, the petitioners demand that public broadcaster Yle withdraw Finland’s entry from the competition.

The petition, spearheaded by Lukas Korpelainen and supported by Finnish artists like Olavi Uusivirta, Paleface, and Axel Ehnström, alleges that Israel’s participation in Eurovision serves to “polish its image,” and they accuse Yle of double standards, referencing the broadcaster’s call for a ban on Russia from the 2022 contest.

In response, Yle has stated that it is monitoring the EBU’s position on the matter and is communicating with other public broadcasters. Yle’s head of communications, Jere Nurminen, has confirmed that the company plans to meet with the petition’s authors to discuss the issue further.

The BBC reports that more than 1,400 Finnish music industry professionals have signed a petition urging a ban on Israel from Eurovision over war crimes in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Ah2lJLACzm

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The EBU has released a statement emphasizing that Eurovision is “for broadcasters – not for governments,” and Israel’s participation has been approved by member organizations. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan has been found to comply with all competition rules, and the EBU maintains that the contest is a “non-political event.”

This development follows similar demands from Icelandic musicians to broadcaster Rúv. The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to take place in Malmö, Sweden, with the United Kingdom represented by pop star Olly Alexander