Leitrim’s Charlie McGettigan backs Eurovision protest
Charlie McGettigan backs Eurovision boycott call
Former Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan has voiced support for a campaign calling for Israel to be excluded from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
In a video shared online this week, the Leitrim singer said he believes the contest should reflect “compassion, justice and peace” as criticism continues to grow over Israel’s participation in the competition.
McGettigan, who won Eurovision for Ireland in 1994 alongside Paul Harrington with the song Rock ’n’ Roll Kids, said the issue had become impossible to ignore.
“But this year, while the contest goes on with Israel taking part, Palestinian people are seeing their homes bombed and their futures destroyed,” he said in the video.
The singer appeared against a backdrop of Eurovision performances and scenes of destruction from Gaza while speaking directly to camera.
He also referenced the “My Eurovision Is…” campaign, which has gained traction online in recent weeks and calls on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to reconsider Israel’s involvement in the contest.
McGettigan said Eurovision should stand for “compassion, justice and peace” and described it as “a Europe that does not stay silent.”
The campaign comes as protests and calls for a boycott continue across Europe ahead of this year’s Eurovision final. Critics have drawn comparisons with Russia’s exclusion from the competition following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Supporters of Israel’s participation argue Eurovision is a non-political event and that artists should not be punished over government actions.
McGettigan is one of several Irish artists and public figures who have publicly commented on the controversy surrounding this year’s contest.
Ireland has won Eurovision seven times, more than any other country alongside Sweden, with McGettigan remaining one of the country’s most recognisable winners.