Eurovision 2026 rocked by ‘Zionist-washing’ protests

The 70th Eurovision Song Contest, held this week at Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle, has once again become a flashpoint for political controversy over Israel’s inclusion. Amid semi-finals scheduled for May 12 and 14 and the grand final on May 16, activists and media workers across Europe are renewing calls for boycotts, accusing the contest of serving as a public relations platform for Israeli government policies.

Accusations of double standards

Claudio Ciccone, a representative of Italy’s Unione Sindacale di Base trade union at state broadcaster RAI, told Anadolu that Eurovision should be “a moment of cultural unity, of peace” but that Israel’s delegation is used to “present a good face of its government to the world.” He questioned the double standard: “If Eurovision excluded Russia over what happened in Ukraine, why did they not exclude Israel for what it did in Palestine, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria?” Ciccone described the phenomenon as “Zionist-washing” — using music and dance to soften perceptions of Israeli policies.

Internal dissent and boycotts

Italy is one of Eurovision’s “Big Five” countries that automatically qualify for the final. Ciccone argued that Italy should have followed Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia in boycotting the event. Although RAI ultimately decided to participate, a petition from USB-RAI gathered support from journalists and cultural workers opposing the decision. Ciccone added: “The real question is, is it a more economic deal or a political deal, and what’s the money behind this?”