Eurovision Gives Israel Formal Warning over Call for Viewers to ‘Vote 10 Times’
The European Broadcasting Union said Kan removed the videos after a written warning as boycott pressure grows over Israel’s participation.
- The Eurovision Song Contest faces crisis as it prepares to hold the 2026 event in Vienna, amid widespread outrage over Israel's participation in the competition.
- More than 1,000 musicians and artists renewed calls last month for participants to boycott the contest, while five countries—Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain—pulled out after organisers allowed Israel to participate.
- Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green issued a formal warning to Israeli broadcaster Kan for artificially inflating votes after videos of singer Noam Bettan telling viewers to "vote 10 times" broke competition rules.
- Ireland's RTE said participation would be "unconscionable" given Israel's behaviour in Gaza, while the Netherlands' public broadcaster stated its participation "cannot be reconciled" with its values.
- The European Broadcasting Union maintains the contest is politically neutral, though it barred Russia in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine; the event proceeds in Vienna with semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Earlier this year, the EBU reprimanded Swedish singer Felicia following statements regarding Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. The European broadcasting umbrella organization pointed out to the Swedish public broadcaster SVT that, according to the rules of the competition, artists are not allowed to convey political messages or stir up controversies that distract attention from the event. After winning the Swedish national s…
Israel's Eurovision contestant has been criticized for urging fans to send all votes to him.
The Eurovision Song Contest stirs up emotions among music fans around the world every year. Both positive and negative. This year marks the 70th edition, with two semi-final nights and the final taking place in Vienna's Stadthalle from May 12th to 16th. The Austrian capital is already bustling with activity. The contestants are arriving. The Czech Republic, whose music fans have shown lukewarm interest in the show, will be represented by Daniel …
Israeli channel KAN had to remove video, which explained how to cast ten votes for Noam Bettan.
Eurovision's director, Martin Green, confirmed that he had called the Israeli broadcaster KAN to order, after videos calling for "10 times" to vote for his candidate Noam Bettan.
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