Austria's Chancellor, tough reaction to the countries that demand the exclusion of Israel from Eurovision: “It would be a fatal mistake”
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker Photo: ALEX HALADA / AFP / Profimedia
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has flatly rejected any suggestion to ban Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest as his country prepares to host the next edition of the competition in 2026, Reuters reports.
“I would consider it a fatal mistake to exclude Israel,” Stocker said in an interview with the German news agency dpa published on Austria's National Day on Sunday.
“And if I were to consider only our history, I would never agree to that,” he added, referring to Austria's shared responsibility for crimes committed during the Second World War Holocaust.
The Eurovision Song Contest, which has always emphasized its political neutrality, has faced controversy over Israel's military campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas.
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Public broadcasters in some European countries, including Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, have threatened to pull out if Israel participates in the contest to be held in Vienna next May.
The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest this month canceled a meeting planned for November in which Israel's participation was to be voted on, and a decision is due in December.
Which countries have threatened to boycott Eurovision?
Last month, Austria's foreign minister called on participating countries not to boycott next year's edition of the Eurovision music contest – to be held in Vienna – as a result of Israel's presence in the competition.
The board of Spanish public broadcaster RTVE voted in September to withdraw from the 2026 edition if Israel participated. Spain thus became the fifth country to undertake such a promise.
The Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and Ireland have already made similar pledges, and Belgian public broadcaster VRT said it supported their position.
The German Minister of Culture criticized these threats, categorizing them as a politicization of a cultural event.
“Eurovision was founded to bring nations together through music. To exclude Israel today goes against that fundamental idea and turns a celebration of understanding between peoples into a court,” Wolfram Weimer said in a statement.
