Some artists supporting the boycott say they face online abuse and the possibility of being ostracised within the industry.
In 2023, British Pro-Israel groups publicly called on the BBC to remove singer Olly Alexander as the UK representative for Eurovision 2024, after he signed a statement accusing Israel of genocide and describing it as an “apartheid state”.
This is even a risk for many artists in simply expressing pro-Palestinian sentiments.
In a recent Swedish documentary, pop star Zara Larsson said she had “never been cancelled in that way before” when describing how she lost gigs and had invitations withdrawn after speaking out in support of Palestinians.
The EBU has often brushed off the impact of these boycotts, but they have a clear financial impact.
Spain alone contributes more than 300,000 euros ($348,972) in participation fees. Together with larger contributors like the Netherlands, the withdrawal of five broadcasters could remove close to 1 million euros ($1.16m) from the contest’s funding pool, according to industry estimates.
The controversy has also dissuaded many top-flight artists from taking part “for fear of their participation signalling political intentions”, William Lee Adams, founder of the Eurovision news website Wiwibloggs, told Al Jazeera.
He pointed to Portugal’s Festival da Cancao as an example.
In the prestigious annual televised competition, participants compete to represent Portugal, but after the EBU confirmed Israel would participate in this year’s Eurovision, 13 of 16 entrants withdrew.
