Malta’s creative sector lobby has joined NGOs supporting Palestine to call on the government and PBS to withdraw Malta’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision song contest.
The campaign Malta: No Music for Genocide follows the European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to compete.
RELATED STORIES
Several countries, including Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, the Netherlands and Spain, have said they will not participate in this year’s edition of the song contest if Israel is allowed to compete.
But Culture Minister Owen Bonnici has said Malta will not boycott the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel participates.
Bonnici told Times of Malta he encourages “a culture of dialogue”, and Malta will therefore not threaten to withdraw from the competition.
On Friday, the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association, Moviment Graffitti, The Lebanese Advocates, Ġustizzja għall-Palestina and The Watermelon Warriors insisted that cultural events are inherently political: among others, Russia had been barred from participating following its invasion of Ukraine.
“In contrast, during its ongoing genocide in Gaza, Israel allocated a record budget to its Eurovision participation, clearly instrumentalising the competition for political ends.
” Over the past two years, the world has witnessed an extermination campaign in Gaza, with more than 70,000 Palestinians killed, including the deliberate targeting of children, journalists, and healthcare workers. Palestinians across Gaza and the occupied West Bank continue to face displacement, apartheid, and systematic violence by the Israeli army and settlers. Israel’s aggression also extends beyond Palestine, with ongoing attacks and illegal occupations in neighbouring Lebanon and Syria,” they said in a joint statement.
They fear that allowing Israel to appear as a ‘normal’ participant in a global cultural event erased these realities, perpetuating the deadly message that Israel can act with impunity.
Across Europe and beyond, artists, activists, and civil society organisations have mobilised to challenge Israel’s participation in the Eurovision. While presented as a celebration of unity and diversity, the Eurovision is, in reality, providing a platform for institutions to whitewash mass violence against civilians, the associations added.
“Malta has formally recognised the State of Palestine and claims a commitment to human rights and international law. These principles must now be reflected in concrete action.”
They called on the government and PBS to join Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland, and withdraw Malta’s participation from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest for as long as Israel is allowed to compete.
They also called on artists, creative professionals, cultural organisations, and civil society organisations to endorse the campaign by filling in the form found here or by sending an email to info@maltanomusicforgenocide.org
Malta faced a clear choice: to participate in the normalisation of genocide, or to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, dignity, and self-determination, they added.