The Eurovision Song Contest almost faced a major crisis as six countries threatened to withdraw from the competition just 25 minutes before the live final. Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, Norway, Greece, and the United Kingdom all considered boycotting the event due to the inclusion of Israel amid the Hamas-Israel conflict. If all six countries had backed out, only 19 countries would have competed in the final, leaving producers with nearly 20 minutes of content to fill at the last moment.
The participation of Israel in the annual song contest caused widespread political backlash. Many of the contestants, including Ireland’s Bambie Thug and UK representative Olly Alexander, faced pressure to boycott the event in solidarity with Palestine. Over 1,000 Swedish artists, including Robyn, Fever Ray, and First Aid Kit, called for Israel to be banned from the contest, while over 1,400 Finnish music industry professionals signed a petition to ban the country from taking part.
The Eurovision organisers received further criticism when it was reported that they had reserved the right to remove Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian symbols during the final. However, Israel competed at the finale, and contestant Eden Golan, who represented Israel, vowed not to be deterred by the boos from the audience.
One of the most vocal about the temptation to pull out of the event was Magnus Børmark, a member of the Norwegian band Gåte. The guitarist explained, “Many of us reacted to the fact that Israel had the opportunity to use Eurovision as its own political tool… It seemed as if there was one set of rules for Israel, another for the rest… The artists should not have to have a crisis meeting with the EBU.”
Despite the controversies, the final went smoothly on the night. Switzerland’s Nemo won the competition, becoming the first ever non-binary winner, and the first person to secure the victory for Switzerland since 1988, when Celine Dion competed with ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’. After their victory on the night, Nemo seemed to suggest that Eurovision might need “fixing”
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