Leitrim’s Charlie McGettigan calls for Israel to be banned from Eurovision

Leitrim based Charlie McGettigan has joined dozens of other Eurovision contestants in calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel's public broadcaster from the song contest.

Ahead of the Eurovision finals on May 17th in Switzerland, over 70 songwriters, lyricists, and other creatives have signed an open letter accusing the Israeli broadcaster KAN of being “complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.”

“We believe in the unifying power of music, which is why we refuse to allow music to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity,” the letter reads.

The letter has reignited last year’s calls for the EBU to ban Israel from competing in the competition.

“I feel dreadfully sorry that this situation exists,” McGettigan told the Leitrim Observer. “I'm a person who has loved the Eurovision since the 1960s, when it was still black and white. So it's not an easy decision for me to make, to turn around and say, whoever is representing Israel shouldn't be allowed to be in it,” he added, noting that he has nothing against the Israeli entrant themselves.

He believes the right thing for the EBU to do would be to ban Israel from the organisation.

“It would show the people of Gaza and the people of Palestine that we feel for them, that we are on their side. We're not necessarily on the side of Hamas, but we're on the side of innocent people. Literally, their daily lives have been completely uprooted and destroyed.”

McGettigan said he wouldn’t have been able to represent Ireland if the climate had been the same in 1994. “I don't know whether Paul would or not, but I certainly would have withdrawn.”

“To platform the representation of the Israeli state, the EBU is normalising and whitewashing its crimes,” the letter continues.

The letter suggests that the EBU should follow the precedent set with Russia in 2022 and ban Israel from participating in the competition. “We don’t accept this double standard regarding Israel.”

Israel will again be part of the 2025 edition of the contest, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland, with their entrant Yuval Raphael set to perform the track “New Day Will Rise.”

The open letter was also signed by other former Irish contestants: Mickey Joe Harte (2003), Brian Kennedy (2006), and Mark Caplice (2018).

RTÉ has asked the EBU for a discussion on Israel's inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest. Similarly, Spain and Slovenia’s broadcasters have requested discussions on the topic, though no broadcaster has “publicly opposed” Israel’s participation.

Martin Green, Director of Eurovision, stated: “The EBU is not immune to global events but, together with our members, it is our role to ensure the contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity, and inclusion through music.”

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