Eurovision 2024 Winner Nemo to Return Trophy in Protest Against Israel's Participation
Nemo, a 26-year-old Swiss singer and the first non-binary Eurovision winner in 2024, announced they will return the trophy in protest of Israel's continued participation in the contest. They argue that Israel's presence conflicts with Eurovision's stated values of unity, inclusion, and dignity.
The tensions surrounding Israel's involvement arise amid the ongoing Gaza war and a voting controversy, which have led five countries—Iceland, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands—to announce boycotts for the next Eurovision event. Nemo expressed on Instagram that the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) decision to allow Israel to participate no longer aligns with the competition's core values, and they showed a video of the trophy placed in a cardboard box ready to be sent back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva.
The conflict in Gaza started after Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis and the capture of 251 hostages, while the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported more than 70,370 Palestinian deaths.
Next year's Eurovision is scheduled to be held in Vienna as part of the 70th-anniversary edition. The EBU has stated there is no need for a further vote on Israel's participation and confirmed that Eurovision 2026 could proceed as planned. Israel's President Isaac Herzog praised the decision to allow Israel to compete.
