Melike Pala
12 May 2026•Update: 12 May 2026
A group of people gathered on Tuesday outside the headquarters of the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF in Brussels to protest Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Waving Palestinian flags, protesters expressed their opposition to Israel being included in the competition and accused RTBF of being complicit in its participation.
Some demonstrators attached printed messages to the building’s metal fences, voicing their objections to RTBF’s involvement in the contest.
Protesters carried placards reading “End complicity,” emphasizing that Israel’s participation in the contest was unacceptable, and called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the broadcasters airing the event to take action.
They also drew attention to journalists and media workers who have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Meanwhile, several countries, including Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Iceland, have decided to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in response to Israel’s inclusion.
However, RTBF, which is responsible for selecting and sending Belgium’s Eurovision representative for this year, decided to participate and broadcast the contest despite calls from artists and members of the public to refrain.
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the world’s largest televised music competitions. The EBU previously banned Russia from participating after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
