BERLIN: Germany’s culture minister on Saturday slammed threats by several European countries to boycott next year’s Eurovision song contest if Israel took part as politicizing a cultural event.
Spain said this week it would boycott the world’s largest live televised music event in May if Israel participated, and Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have made similar threats.
“Eurovision was founded to bring nations together through music. Excluding Israel today goes against this fundamental idea and turns a celebration of understanding between peoples into a tribunal,” said Wolfram Weimer in a statement.
“It’s precisely because Eurovision was born on the ruins of war that it should not become a scene of exclusion.”
Austria, which is hosting the next Eurovision, had on Friday expressed regret over the threats.
Other countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Finland are also considering a boycott and have time till December to decide.
“Eurovision is based on the principle that artists are judged on their art and not on their nationality. The culture of cancelation is not the solution — the solution is diversity and cohesion,” Weimer said.
“It’s precisely because Eurovision was born on the ruins of war that it should not become a scene of exclusion,” he added.
The European Broadcasting Union, the organizer of Eurovision, is set to decide whether Israel will take part in the 2026 edition at its general assembly in December.
This year’s edition in Basel in Switzerland drew in 166 million viewers across 37 countries.
Pro-Palestinian activists protested in Malmo, Sweden in 2024 and in Basel in May over Israel’s participation amid its devastating offensive in Gaza.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,174 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
![]()
Germany slams Eurovision boycott threats over Gaza
Short Url
https://arab.news/8zexu
Germany slams Eurovision boycott threats over Gaza
- Spain said this week it would boycott the world’s largest live televised music event in May if Israel participated
- Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have made similar threats
Macron vows stronger cooperation with Nigeria after mass kidnappings
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that France will step up cooperation with Nigeria after speaking with his counterpart, as the West African country faces a surge in abductions.
Nigeria has been wracked by a wave of kidnappings in recent weeks, including the capture of over 300 school children two weeks ago that shook Africa’s most populous country, already weary from chronic violence.
Macron wrote on X that the move came at Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s request, saying France “will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations,” while urging other countries to “step up their engagement.”
“No one can remain a spectator” to what is happening in Nigeria, the French president said.
Nigeria has drawn heightened attention from Washington in recent weeks, after US President Donald Trump said in November that the United States was prepared to take military action there to counter the killing of Christians.
US officials, while not contradicting Trump, have since instead emphasized other US actions on Nigeria including security cooperation with the government and the prospect of targeted sanctions.
Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups have plagued Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 school girls in the town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.
The religiously diverse country is the scene of a number of long-brewing conflicts that have killed both Christians and Muslims, often indiscriminately.
Many scholars say the reality is more nuanced, with conflicts rooted in struggles for scarce resources rather than directly related to religion.
Nigeria has been wracked by a wave of kidnappings in recent weeks, including the capture of over 300 school children two weeks ago that shook Africa’s most populous country, already weary from chronic violence.
Macron wrote on X that the move came at Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s request, saying France “will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations,” while urging other countries to “step up their engagement.”
“No one can remain a spectator” to what is happening in Nigeria, the French president said.
Nigeria has drawn heightened attention from Washington in recent weeks, after US President Donald Trump said in November that the United States was prepared to take military action there to counter the killing of Christians.
US officials, while not contradicting Trump, have since instead emphasized other US actions on Nigeria including security cooperation with the government and the prospect of targeted sanctions.
Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups have plagued Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 school girls in the town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.
The religiously diverse country is the scene of a number of long-brewing conflicts that have killed both Christians and Muslims, often indiscriminately.
Many scholars say the reality is more nuanced, with conflicts rooted in struggles for scarce resources rather than directly related to religion.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.