Flag of Finland in the audience during The Eurovision Song Contest 2023. LEHTIKUVA
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More than 100 Finnish artists have signed a petition demanding that Yle boycott Eurovision if Israel is allowed to compete. The petition calls on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to exclude Israel from the contest and urges Yle not to send Finland’s UMK winner to Eurovision should Israel participate.
The statement was published on Monday on the website of Sumud ry, an organisation advocating for Palestinian human rights.
Among the signatories are actress and singer Eija Ahvo, actor Eero Ritala, and actress-director Sara Melleri.
“In 2024, the decision to participate was left to the UMK winner. We do not want this to happen again in 2025, and we demand that Yle take responsibility for the matter,” the petition states.
Israel selected its Eurovision representative two weeks ago. The contestant, Yuval Raphael, reportedly survived Hamas’ attack on the Nova music festival in October 2023.
Israel’s participation has sparked strong opposition due to the ongoing war in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties. Last year, Israel’s involvement faced significant resistance, particularly in Ireland and the Nordic countries.
So far, Slovenia’s public broadcaster RTV is the only national broadcaster to officially demand Israel’s exclusion from Eurovision. According to RTV, Slovenia is considering withdrawing from the competition if Israel is allowed to participate.
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
