Croatia’s Eurovision 2026 representatives LELEK have criticised Israeli broadcaster KAN after a social media post appeared to mock their performance during the first semi-final in Vienna.
LELEK respond to KAN post
Following the first semi-final, KAN Israel shared a post referencing Croatia’s performance: “When you exaggerate with the tattooed makeup artist in Eilat”
In response, LELEK reposted the image on their Instagram story alongside a message condemning the broadcaster’s comments.
The group wrote:
“We are disturbed by the comments made by the Israeli broadcaster KAN, in which our culture and the sacrifices made by oppressed Catholic women were mocked. It is especially disturbing to ridicule women singing about female pain and suffering while showing such a complete lack of empathy and respect for the suffering of others.”
At the time of publication, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), KAN or the Israeli delegaion have not publicly commented on the situation.
KAN deletes the post
Approximately one hour after LELEK shared their statement, KAN removed the original post from Instagram. Neither KAN nor the Israeli delegation have issued a public response regarding the criticism from the Croatian representatives.
This is not the first time KAN’s Eurovision coverage has sparked controversy among fans and delegations.
During Eurovision 2024 in Malmö, Israeli commentators made about several participating countries, including Ukraine, Armenia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Similar complaints also emerged during Eurovision 2025 surrounding commentary linked to the Netherlands and other entries.
The EBU has not previously announced disciplinary action regarding commentary made during KAN’s Eurovision broadcasts.
Croatia advanced from the first semi-final held in Vienna on Tuesday night and later received the producers’ choice for the Grand Final running order.
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News Source: LELEK
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
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