Swiss singer Nemo, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, will return their trophy to the organisers, the singer announced on Instagram.
According to Nemo, Israel's participation in the next edition of the song contest is at odds with the European Broadcasting Union's (EBU) values.
Last year, they became the first openly non-binary person to win Eurovision.
Israel's participation
The decision by Eurovision Song Contest and its organisers — the EBU — to allow Israel to take part in the next Eurovision, which will be held in Vienna in May 2026, has proven controversial.
The move has prompted broadcasters from Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and now Iceland to withdraw their countries from the contest in protest, citing Israel's conduct in the Gaza war.
Iceland was among the countries that had requested a vote last week on Israel's participation.
The EBU decided not to call a vote, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.
What has Nemo said about handing back their trophy?
"Eurovision says it stands for unity, inclusion, and dignity for all. Those values made this competition meaningful to me," the singer wrote on Instagram.
"But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions made by the EBU."
"The contest was repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while the EBU insisted Eurovision is "non-political," they continued.
"When entire countries withdraw over this contradiction, it should be clear that something is deeply wrong. That's why I've decided I'm sending my trophy back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva."
They said they were sending it "with gratitude and with a clear message: Live what you claim".
SBS is an associate member of the EBU and Australia's official broadcaster of Eurovision. SBS has aired the song contest every year since 1983, and will participate again in 2026.
"Our position remains that, as a public broadcaster, making a decision to be involved based on the inclusion or exclusion of any country would undermine SBS's editorial independence and impartiality," an SBS spokesperson said.
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