No pride in genocide:
Boycott Eurovision 2025

Since October 2023, Israel has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Even since the long-awaited, fragile ceasefire, it continues to block aid to Gaza. Despite clear requests from the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, BDS movement and the Slovenian national broadcaster, along with artists from Sweden, Finland, and Iceland to ban them from the Eurovision Song Contest, organisers continue to keep Israel in the competition, declaring it “a non-political event.” This highlights the hypocrisy of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which banned Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

By allowing Israel to compete in Eurovision, the EBU is complicit not only in whitewashing the genocide Israel is commiting against Palestinians, but also in upholding the apartheid regime’s pinkwashing propaganda— the exploitation of LGBT rights to project a progressive image while Israel commits racist, colonialist atrocities.

Since adopting the “Brand Israel” strategy in 2005, Israel’s cynical instrumentalisation of LGBT+ rights and liberal gay lifestyles has been key to its pinkwashing campaign to conceal its apartheid regime. Eurovision — the ultimate celebration of camp and flamboyance — has attracted the interest, passion and support of the LGBTQIA+ community for decades. Israel understands that the competition presents a unique opportunity for the settler-colonial state to pinkwash its systematic denial of Palestinian’s rights.

For over 76 years, Israel’s apartheid regime has robbed, oppressed, ethnically cleansed, impoverished, imprisoned and killed Indigenous Palestinians, queer and non-queer alike. Now we see Israeli soldiers waving rainbow flags while standing on the ruins of the Palestinian homes, weaponizing homophobia to push Israel’s racist, colonial agenda. But there can be no queer and trans liberation without freedom, justice and equality for Palestinians.

Queer Palestinians continue to exist and resist, as they have done for decades. Now more than ever, it is time for queers around the world to take serious and strategic action in solidarity with our Palestinian siblings.

Last year’s boycott included thousands of artists and hundreds of queer and trans organizations calling for apartheid Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision. In host city Malmö, 30+ artists, venues and organisations withdrew from Eurovision Week, including Malmö Pride. Throughout Europe, many journalists, presenters and others refused to work with Eurovision, and many screening parties were cancelled. With continued, intensifying pressure, we know we can push the EBU to expel Israel from Eurovision so that the competition can finally stand for the values it claims to uphold.

As queer collectives from Palestine and around the world, we refuse to have our identities instrumentalized by the settler-colonial apartheid regime of Israel.

UNTIL ISRAEL IS BANNED FROM THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST, WE CALL FOR:

  • Eurovision participants to refuse to perform
  • National broadcasters to withdraw from Eurovision
  • Local venues to cancel their Eurovision screening parties, and instead host educational events about Israel’s pinkwashing
  • Our comrades, lovers and kin to join and share this campaign, join the BDS movement and organise locally

Signatories

LGBTQIA+ organisations

  1. CUTRA, Romania
  2. Aveiro Feminista, Portugal
  3. QuARC Berlin, Germany
  4. Observatori contra l’LGTBIfobia, Spain
  5. Sare Lesbianista, Euskal Herria
  6. R.E.C Arts Reykjavík, Iceland
  7. MAURICE GLBTQ APS, Italia
  8. Rauða Regnhlífin / Red Umbrella Iceland, Iceland
  9. Allt í sleik, menningarfélag, Iceland
  10. Granada Visible, España
  11. Chaves Comunitária, Portugal
  12. Organisation de Solidarité Trans (OST), France
  13. Colectivo Sirpad, Spain
  14. Crida LGBTI, Països Catalans
  15. PATH – Plataforma Anti Transfobia e Homofobia de Coimbra, Portugal
  16. Ozen! LGTB, Euskal Herria
  17. Espacio Seguro LGTBIQA+ Burgos, Spain
  18. Mdma talde transfeminista, Basque Country
  19. Kuir Eztanda, Euskal Herria
  20. Palestinarekiko erantzukizuna, Básque Country
  21. Coordinamento Torino Pride APS, Italy
  22. Trans Ísland, Iceland
  23. Hinsegin Heift, Iceland
  24. Ehgam (Euskal Herriko Sexu Askapen Mugimendua), Basque Country
  25. Genderlens, Italy
  26. Queers Against israeli Apartheid, “Vancouver” Canada
  27. Buzz Intercultura – Cinema e notizie LGBT, Italy
  28. Trans & Intersex Pride Dublin, Ireland
  29. TransHub, Sweden
  30. Queers for Palestine Bologna, Italy
  31. Bizkaiko E28 Koordinadora, Euskal Herria
  32. Queers for Palestine, Ireland
  33. T-RREx, Netherlands
  34. Assemblea Corpi e Terra, NUDM, Italia
  35. Les Palmeres Roses, Països Catalans
  36. Las Marikarmen, Catalunya
  37. Queer Collective for Palestine, Canada
  38. Braga Fora do Armário, Portugal
  39. Opus Diversidades Portugal
  40. Transat — association by and for trans people, France
  41. Lumagorri, Euskal Herria
  42. Stichting Colored Qollective, The Netherlands
  43. ATHAR |أثر, Germany
  44. Internationalist Queer Pride Berlin, Germany
  45. Queer Education, France
  46. The HALA Collective, Portugal
  47. Desidykes Collective, USA
  48. Nionia films, Greece
  49. Laboratorio Smaschieramenti, Italy
  50. SMFA at Tufts, USA
  51. Lumagorri, Euskal Herria
  52. Dylberizm, Kosovo
  53. Kura Alma, Portugal
  54. Društvo DIH – Enakopravni pod mavrico, Slovenia
  55. Les inverti.e.s, France
  56. Ukatu, Euskal Herria
  57. The Clit Pit, Belgium
  58. F.A.G.S. Faction Against Genocide in Solidarity, Tioh:tià:k – Mooniyang – “montreal”
  59. QuareClare LGBTQIA+, Ireland
  60. Espacio Seguro Burgos, Spain
  61. Queer Sheds, Ireland
  62. Queers Against Genocide, Palestine

Supported by

Other organisations

  1. Palestina Livre Ilha Terceira, Portugal
  2. Headquarters of the Movement, Belgium
  3. Cine Contra As Paredes, Portugal
  4. Mothersforpalestine, Sweden
  5. Klimataktion Skåne, Sweden
  6. Parents for Peace, Portugal
  7. Extinction Rebellion Limburg, België
  8. SR4Palestine Australia, Sweden, and international
  9. Drop Fossil, Schweiz
  10. Estudantes por Justiça na Palestina, Portugal
  11. BDS País Valencià, Spain
  12. Coalició Prou Complicitat amb Israel, Catalunya, Spain
  13. Plataforma Solidaria con Palestina de Valladolid, Spain
  14. RESCOP, Spain
  15. Comité de Solidariedade com a Palestina, Portugal
  16. Coimbra pela Palestina e The Surge Portugal, Portugal
  17. BDS NL, Netherlands
  18. Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign Scotland, UK
  19. Rete Romana di Solidarietà con il Popolo Palestinese, Italia
  20. RPC, Netherlands
  21. Assopace Palestina, Italy
  22. Groupe BDS 68, France
  23. BDS Roma, Italy
  24. pick nick, Greece
  25. Non una di Meno Trieste, Italy
  26. CIVITAS Braga, Portugal
  27. Non una di meno Firenze, Italy
  28. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Ireland
  29. Sare Antifaxista, Euskal Herria
  30. Gruppo Volontari per l’ambiente, Matera
  31. Dýrið – félag um réttinn til þess að mótmæla, Iceland
  32. MFÍK – Menningar og friðarsamtök íslenskra kvenna, Iceland
  33. Menningar og friðarsamtökin MFÍK, Iceland
  34. The Iceland-Palestine Association, Iceland
  35. Sitges amb Palestina, Països Catalans
  36. El Garraf amb Palestina, Països Catalans
  37. Acampada por palestina la rioja, ESPAÑA
  38. AEGEE Burgos, Spain