Netherlands boycotts Eurovision 2027 over Israel's participation

The Dutch public broadcaster announced that the Netherlands will not participate in Eurovision 2027 in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, reversing an earlier decision to return amid widespread criticism of Israel's participation in the contest.

The Dutch public broadcaster (NPO) announced Tuesday that the Netherlands will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled to take place in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, reversing a decision made in September to return to the contest.

The broadcaster's director general, Yot de Ranitz, said that "it is still too early to participate in Eurovision 2027," while the broadcaster acknowledged that Israel's participation has prompted mixed reactions in society and caused controversy and division.

موقع مسابقة يوروفيجن (أرشيف)

Widespread domestic opposition

The broadcaster had planned to organize the Dutch participation through an independent team of experts with assistance from other public broadcasters, but none agreed to provide staff for the project. Around 400 employees at the broadcaster also signed a letter calling for the participation decision to be reconsidered.

AVROTROS, the broadcaster responsible for the Netherlands' participation since 2014, boycotted the 2026 edition in Vienna, arguing that the contest "can no longer be considered neutral" as long as one participating country is involved in a large-scale military conflict, referring to Israel.

European boycott continues

Ireland's broadcaster also announced that it would not participate in the 2027 edition, saying that participation "remains morally unacceptable" given the situation in Gaza, while the head of Spain's broadcaster backed continuing the boycott. Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia had boycotted this year's contest after organizers refused to exclude Israel. The final will be held in Burgas on May 15.

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