Auch der belgische Kultursektor spricht sich gegen eine israelische Teilnahme am Eurovision Song Contest aus

Johannes Genard, Brihang and Flip Kowlier also signed the open letter . They “denounce the endless violence that Israel is causing in Gaza” and find it incomprehensible that the country is allowed to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. **”The Israeli army has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, including 13,000 children,**” it said.

With the open letter, the Belgian cultural sector supports a similar call in Sweden, which is supported by more than 1,000 artists and cultural employees.

Last week, Dutch artists also called on their candidate Joost Klein not to go to the Eurovision Song Contest because of the war Israel is waging in Gaza. “I don’t think the letter should have been addressed to me,” Klein responded. “I’m just a small part of the machine.”

Why is Israel not excluded?

**The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest, has indicated that it will not exclude Israel. Firstly, the Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political event and secondly, it is not the Israeli government, but the Israeli public broadcaster that is a member of the EBU.** And that broadcaster meets all the conditions to participate.

**VRT announced that the public broadcaster follows the EBU’s position** and also emphasized the connecting role of the music festival for viewers and listeners from all over the world.

Double standards

The statements from the EBU and the VRT about why Israel is allowed to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest are not sufficient for the signatories. **They are talking about a “double standard”, because “in 2022 the EBU could make a political decision when it excluded Russia from the festival due to the invasion of Ukraine”.**

“Suddenly claiming that the festival is ‘non-political’ shows, above all, that the public broadcaster would rather quietly offer a stage to a state that has 31,000 murders on its conscience than to send a signal against all that horror.” .”

The letter ends with a clear appeal: **”We call on the EBU, VRT and RTBF to reverse their decision, to make a statement against the genocide, and not to allow Israel to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden in 2024.”**