Succumbed to pro-Palestinian pressure: Netherlands withdraws from Eurovision 2027

The Netherlands will not participate in Eurovision 2027 following pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's participation. The public broadcaster NPO reversed its decision to return the Netherlands to the competition, after 400 employees signed a protest letter and pro-Palestinian organizations demonstrated and threatened further protest actions. The Netherlands also missed the previous Eurovision.

The Netherlands will not participate in Eurovision 2027, to be held in May in Bulgaria, according to Reuters. The country's public broadcasters decided not to take part in the competition, following a wave of protests against Israel's participation. The decision comes just a month after the public broadcaster NPO announced it would work to return the Netherlands to Eurovision, after it missed the previous competition. In August, the broadcaster AVROTROS, which was responsible for the Dutch delegation for years, announced it would not participate in Eurovision 2027 due to its opposition to Israel's participation. A month later, NPO announced it would take on the responsibility for selecting the representative and preparing the delegation, thus paving the way for the Netherlands' return to the competition. The decision sparked uproar in the Netherlands: about 400 public broadcasting employees signed a protest letter under the hashtag #NietMijnSongfestival ("Not My Eurovision"), demanding that NPO management cancel the participation. The employees criticized the decision, which they claimed was made without sufficient consultation, and expressed opposition to participating in a competition where Israel takes part. Meanwhile, seven public broadcasters demanded clarifications from the corporation's management regarding the decision-making process and the delegation's funding. The protest also reached the streets, and last weekend a demonstration took place in the city of Hilversum, where the main broadcasting bodies in the Netherlands operate. Dozens of protesters participated in the protest by pro-Palestinian organizations, including Extinction Rebellion and The Rights Forum, calling for a boycott of Eurovision as long as Israel participates. During the protest, speeches and musical performances were held, and the names of journalists killed in the Gaza Strip were read out. Meanwhile, the BDS movement in the Netherlands threatened to launch a nationwide protest campaign against participation in the competition. The Netherlands was one of five countries that boycotted Eurovision 2026 due to Israel's participation, alongside Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland. Ahead of Eurovision 2027, Ireland has also announced it will continue to boycott the competition, while in Spain there have been calls to continue the boycott next year as well. The headline accuses the Netherlands of "succumbing" to pro-Palestinian pressure, but the body reports a complex decision-making process involving employee protest, organizational pressure, and previous decisions by broadcasters.