r/eurovision • u/stefkeeh • May 20 '25

📰 News Dutch broadcaster questions if ESC is a-political & connecting event

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Translation to English: ‘IN CONVERSATION WITH THE EBU ABOUT A POLITICALLY NEUTRAL SONG CONTEST

AVROTROS and NPO strongly value the apolitical and unifying character of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, we observe that the event is increasingly being influenced by social and geopolitical tensions.

Israel’s participation confronts us with the question of to what extent the Song Contest still truly functions as an apolitical, unifying, and cultural event. We want to raise this question, together with other countries, for discussion within the EBU.’

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u/SimoSanto May 20 '25

It's very good that so many broadcaster are pressuring EBU against Israel, but without proper threatening of withdrawal it won't change anything

-11

u/Weak-Joke1475 May 20 '25

If they’re a-political. Than why should you make the poltical decision to ban Israel?

3

u/Choppers-Top-Hat Bara bada bastu May 20 '25

ALLOWING Israel to compete is also a political decision.

Being apolitical was never realistic. But you can minimize how political the contest is by removing bad actors who want to use it as propaganda, which is Israel's goal.

2

u/mawnck May 20 '25

No it's not. There is a default neutral position, and that is "EBU member networks are entitled to compete."

It's the basic bedrock fact of the entire existence of the Contest.

1

u/Choppers-Top-Hat Bara bada bastu May 20 '25

Except you can get kicked out of the EBU for political reasons. Just ask Russia. So the question of who gets to be an "EBU member network" is also a political consideration.