By Róise Collins
FORMER Eurovision contestants, including Donegal’s Charlie McGettigan and Mickey Joe Harte, have demanded Israel be excluded from the popular song contest ahead of the finals this weekend.
Previous participants from across Europe have published a letter calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel’s public broadcaster KAN from the popular song contest.
The signatories include Ballyshannon native Charlie McGettigan, who alongside Paul Harrington, won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1994 with the song “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” and Lifford man Mickey Joe Harte represented Ireland in the competition in 2003 with the song “We’ve Got the World”.
The Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, who has a Donegal branch, have also launched an email campaign urging RTÉ to this year’s competition which they claim is “artwashing” Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, the EBU expelled it immediately. However in the case of Israel, despite the state being under investigation by the International Court of Justice, the EBU refuses to expel it from the competition, the IPSC explained.
“Despite Israel being under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has again refused to expel the genocidal apartheid state from Eurovision 2025.
“We ask you to please take action to write to RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst and the Board, demanding that RTÉ withdraw from the Eurovision in solidarity with the Palestinian call to boycott the contest,” said the IPSC.
“With over 51,000 Palestinians, including at least 17,000 children, slaughtered in Israel’s genocidal war on the people of Gaza, there can be no business as usual for a state committing the most serious of crimes.
“Israel acts as it does because of the impunity granted to it by the international community, including Ireland. Israel must be expelled from all international organisations and competition, including Eurovision and the EBU.”
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