A coalition of civil society organisations has called on the public to gather outside the CyBC building in Aglantzia today, to protest Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026, the same day Israel’s entry is scheduled to perform in the semi‑finals in Vienna.
The organisers include United for Palestine Nicosia, BDS Cyprus, Far Right Watch, NEDA, Anatropi, AFOA, Genocide Free Cyprus, Cyprus Palestine Solidarity Action and Queer Collective. They argue that Israel’s participation amounts to the whitewashing and normalisation of what they describe as genocide, siege and military occupation of Palestinians.
The protest follows a letter sent to CyBC on 5 April by a broader group of civil society organisations, calling on the public broadcaster to raise the issue within the European Broadcasting Union. The letter requested that CyBC seek a formal review of the eligibility of Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN, under the criteria applied in 2022, when Russia was excluded from the contest.
The organisations are also calling on CyBC to submit a formal request to Eurovision bodies for a review of KAN’s participation, to seek clarification that Eurovision’s apolitical character does not preclude scrutiny when broadcaster conduct poses reputational risks, and to communicate to Cypriot audiences that its stance is guided by consistency, neutrality and the long‑term credibility of the competition.
Source: philenews
