Netherlands boycotts 'Eurovision' for second year due to 'Israel's crimes'

The Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS announced it will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest for the second consecutive year, protesting Israel's continued participation. The broadcaster stated that the changes announced by the European Broadcasting Union to improve participation rules were insufficient to restore trust in the contest's independence and neutrality. It argued that the continued participation of a country engaged in a large-scale military conflict, amid what it describes as severe human suffering in Gaza and restrictions on press freedom, contradicts its core values: reliability, independence, and humanity. AVROTROS had announced in December 2025 its withdrawal from the 2026 edition, following the European Broadcasting Union's decision to allow Israel to participate. This year also saw withdrawals by Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland in one of the largest political crises the contest has faced, but that did not prevent Israel from participating after a majority of members supported it. The article extends the dispute to a broader question: can Eurovision maintain its image as a non-political contest while Europe is divided over the Gaza war? The article concludes that the Dutch boycott is a message that cultural neutrality has limits when war itself becomes present within the contest.