Eurovision Champ Nemo To Return Trophy Over Israel's Continued Entry

Last year's Eurovision winner has made a massive statement: Nemo, the Swiss singer-rapper who triumphed in 2024, announced on 11 December that they will return the trophy to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). They said this decision, shared on their Instagram account, is a sign of protest over the continued participation of Israel in the annual international singing contest.

The singer-rapper, who won the award for their performance of the operatic rap and rock song The Code, said in their post that despite their immense gratitude for every opportunity that they got from the contest, they felt that the trophy no longer belongs on their shelf.

Nemo's Thoughts on Eurovision

Nemo explained that Eurovision's claims about its stand for 'unity, inclusion and dignity for all' made the contest more meaningful for them. 'But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions made by the EBU,' they wrote in the post.

They also mentioned in the caption that their decision was influenced by the contest's promised values, not by rejecting the people behind it. 'Music still connects us. That belief hasn't changed.'

Ongoing Boycott

The EBU's decision to allow Israel to be part of the singing competition next year, despite accusations of human rights violations in Palestine, has triggered withdrawals from Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland.

Protests demanding Israel's removal from the lineup have intensified since 2024, continuing into the 2025 competition. In a report from RadioTimes, Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) explained that 'participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk'.

Spain, one of the 'Big 5' countries alongside the UK, France, Italy and Germany, said that the board of directors of their broadcaster RTVE had agreed as early as September that they would withdraw their participation in Eurovision if Israel remained part of the contest.

Iceland's RÚV, the fifth broadcaster to withdraw, said that 'given the public debate in this country...it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of RÚV in Eurovision. It is therefore the conclusion of RÚV to notify the EBU today that RÚV will not take part in Eurovision next year.'

For the Netherlands, withdrawing from Eurovision was not an easy decision. 'The Eurovision Song Contest is very valuable to us,' broadcaster AVROTROS managing director Taco Zimmerman said in a statement posted on Eurovision World. 'Culture connects, but not at all costs. What happened over the past year is touching our limits. Universal values such as humanity and the free press have been seriously violated and are not negotiable for us.'

While the Dutch broadcaster removed its entry from the competition, it promises to continue airing the Eurovision Song Contest to all its viewers in 2026.

The EBU is expected to release the full list of participants for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest before Christmas. The event will be staged at Vienna's Wiener Stadthalle, with semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and the grand final on 16 May.