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Music Industry Professionals in Finland Call for Exclusion of Israel from Eurovision
A petition signed by over 1,400 professionals in the Finnish music industry urges the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to bar Israel from participating in the Eurovision Song Contest, citing alleged war crimes in Gaza.
More than 1,400 individuals in the Finnish music industry have endorsed a petition appealing to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to disallow Israel from joining the Eurovision Song Contest, citing accusations of “war crimes” in Gaza. If Israel is not excluded, the petitioners are insisting that Finland’s entry be withdrawn from the competition by the public broadcaster Yle.
Led by Lukas Korpelainen and with the backing of Finnish artists such as Olavi Uusivirta, Paleface, and Axel Ehnström, the petition alleges that Israel’s involvement in Eurovision is aimed at “enhancing its reputation,” and they accuse Yle of employing double standards, pointing to the broadcaster’s plea for a ban on Russia from the 2022 contest.
In response, Yle has indicated that it is closely monitoring the EBU’s stance on the issue and is engaging in communication with other public broadcasters. Jere Nurminen, Yle’s head of communications, has affirmed that the company intends to hold discussions with the creators of the petition to delve deeper into the matter.
The BBC reports that more than 1,400 Finnish music industry professionals have signed a petition urging a ban on Israel from Eurovision over war crimes in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/Ah2lJLACzm
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The EBU has issued a statement underscoring that Eurovision is “for broadcasters – not for governments” and that Israel’s participation has been sanctioned by member organizations. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan has been found to adhere to all contest regulations, and the EBU asserts that the contest is a “non-political event.”
This development comes in the wake of analogous appeals from Icelandic musicians to the broadcaster Rúv. The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest is set to be held in Malmö, Sweden, with the United Kingdom represented by the pop star Olly Alexander
