ReutersLast year’s Eurovision Song Contest winner Nemo has said he will return his trophy in protest at Israel’s continued participation in the event.
The 26-year-old Swiss singer said there is a “clear conflict” between Israel’s participation in the contest and the ideals of “unity, inclusion and dignity” that the contest claims to uphold.
Israel’s presence at Eurovision has been a growing source of tension due to the war in Gaza and a controversy over voting during this year’s event.
Five countries (Iceland, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands) have announced that they will boycott next year’s event because Israel has been allowed to compete.
Israel has previously called the decision to keep him in the race a “victory” over critics who had tried to silence him and spread hate.
Nemo became the first non-binary artist to lift the Eurovision trophy with their song The Code, which is about the journey to realizing they are non-binary.
After the victory, Nemo told the BBC about the challenges they faced during the contest and his feeling that the organizers did not do enough to support the participants who were caught in the dispute over Israel’s inclusion in 2024.
“I felt very alone. I really hope everything will be ready for next year,” Nemo said at the time. This prompted the introduction of a series of new measures to protect the mental wellbeing of Eurovision artists and staff.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Thursday, Nemo said they felt the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) decision to allow Israel to continue participating in the event was no longer aligned with its core values.
“Israel’s continued involvement, during what the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded was a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decision made by the EBU,” they said, referring to a report published in September.
“While I am immensely grateful for the community surrounding this contest and all that this experience has taught me as a person and artist, today I feel like this trophy no longer feels like it belongs on my shelf.”
Nemo also posted a video of them placing the trophy in a cardboard box, saying it will be sent back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva.
EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockThe boycotts and protests over the inclusion of Israel have been the biggest crisis Eurovision has ever seen.
This year’s competition also had controversy over voting and accusations that Israel’s government attempted to influence the public vote.
This led to some competition rules being changed and tightened, after which a “vast majority” of members agreed that a new vote on participation was not necessary and that Eurovision 2026 could go ahead as planned, the EBU said.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog praised the decision to allow the country to compete, calling it “an appreciated gesture of solidarity, brotherhood and cooperation.”
Referring to the boycotts, Nemo insisted that their decision to return the trophy was not about “individuals or artists”, but rather what they believed was the use of Eurovision to “soften the image of a state accused of serious irregularities”.
“When entire countries withdraw, it should be clear that something is deeply wrong,” they added.
“If the values we celebrate on stage are not lived off the stage, then even the most beautiful songs will lose their meaning.”
The war in Gaza was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 70,370 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry.
Next year’s Eurovision will be held in Vienna, in what is supposed to be a celebration edition of the contest’s 70th anniversary.
The BBC has contacted Eurovision for comment.
