In Brussels on Tuesday evening, Palestinian songwriter Bashar Murad stood in an ornate concert hall and delivered Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” in English and Arabic, drawing a standing ovation from hundreds of attendees. The performance came as a protest movement against the Eurovision Song Contest gathered momentum ahead of the contest’s Saturday final in Vienna, where Israel will compete amid anger over its military campaign in Gaza and elsewhere.
The Eurovision dispute has split performers, broadcasters and governments, as protests have surged across Europe. Eurovision, now in its 70th anniversary year, is billed with a motto of “United by Music,” and the show features entries from 35 countries.
Murad’s performance was part of the “United for Palestine” event in Brussels, which organizers said was designed to counter Eurovision’s presence with a parallel program. Katrien De Ruysscher, founder of the activist group SOS Gaza, said the alternative was necessary because “the participation of Israel is problematic,” adding that the Brussels event was organized along with rights group 11.11.11.
Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, said Eurovision should exclude Israel from the competition in line with what it did for Russia in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She argued, “Songs and sequins must not be allowed to drown out or distract from Israel’s atrocities or Palestinian suffering,” framing the debate as one about whether pop spectacle can proceed amid a war that Amnesty says has created widespread suffering.
The protests have also extended beyond concerts to national broadcaster decisions. The Associated Press reported that five countries — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland — are boycotting this week’s contest after the European Broadcasting Union declined to kick Israel out. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog welcomed the broadcasting union’s decision at the time, saying, “Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world.”
Organizers of the Brussels “United for Palestine” event said similar alternatives are planned across Europe this week, including in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Italy and Spain. In Spain, Spanish public television, which has broadcast Eurovision in past years, plans to air alternative programming on Saturday evening titled “La Casa de la Música,” describing it as a tribute to the musical legacy of the broadcaster. The program is set to include performances by 20 veteran and newcomer musicians, including artists connected to Spain’s Benidorm Fest competition who would otherwise have gone to Eurovision.
Murad said he hoped the alternative programs can prompt reflection on Eurovision’s original mission to bring people together through music, and he said the competition has lost meaning for many viewers. Speaking after his performance, he said, “The purpose of these alternative programs that are happening is to remind Eurovision what it’s actually about and to try to hopefully bring it back, to correct its course and make it actually live up to the things that it claims to be about.” He added that “A lot of people in the world feel that the competition has lost its meaning.”