Eurovision has never been about politics, says BBC boss Tim Davie

BBC director general Tim Davie has said the corporation is “aware of the concerns” around Israel taking part in next year’s Eurovision, adding that the song contest has “never been about politics”.

Speaking on Monday in front of parliament’s public accounts committee, Davie said the BBC would “work with” Eurovision organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), on the issue.

“Eurovision has never been about politics, it should be a celebration of music and culture that brings people together. We need to see what the broadcast union decides,” he added.

Fellow broadcasters from Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and now Spain have all threatened to boycott the event if Israel is allowed to take part over the country’s actions in Gaza.

“We’re very aware of the concerns,” the BBC boss told the committee. “It’s obviously a well-debated topic and difficult.

“At this stage we are supportive of the European Broadcast Union’s work. They are going around discussing with members, working through all the processes by which they would be satisfied to make a decision one way or the other.”

He added that it was “really important… that we try to preserve” the celebratory element of the contest.

“But at this stage, I’m supporting the European Broadcasting Union’s work, and they need to get on with it.”

Earlier this year, more than 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter calling on the organisers to ban Israel from the 2025 competition in Basel, which Austrian singer JJ won after a nail-biting finish that saw him topple Israel from pole position at the very last minute.

As a result, next summer’s event will be held in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Spain’s Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun has now said Israel should not take part in the next Eurovision, repeating calls made by the country’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, earlier this year.

In 2024, Spain joined Norway and Ireland in acknowledging a Palestinian state and last week, Sánchez accused Israel of genocide and announced a series of measures against it, including an arms embargo.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded by accusing Sanchez’s administration of being antisemitic and of using “wild and hateful rhetoric”.

In August, the UN-backed food monitor, the IPC, confirmed that famine was taking place in parts of Gaza. Israel is accused of causing the famine through ongoing restrictions on food and medical aid entering the territory.

Israel controls all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, and as the occupying power bears responsibility for protecting civilian life under international law, which includes the prevention of starvation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied starvation is taking place in Gaza and has said that where there is hunger, it is the fault of aid agencies and Hamas.

Israel has regularly denied that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide and says they are justified as a means of self-defence.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,871 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Russia was banned from competing in Eurovision in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.

The EBU said at the time that Russia’s inclusion could bring the competition into disrepute “in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”.

Before making this decision, the EBU said it had taken time to consult widely among its membership.

Ukraine went on to win the contest.

Eurovision is loved for its camp pop hits, soaring ballads and everything inbetween.

But over the years, artists have used their platform to send subtle – and not so subtle – political messages.

In 2023, Switzerland sent an anti-war song, Watergun, while Iceland were fined €5,000 back in 2019 for flying a Palestinian flag during the competition.

In 2016, Ukraine also won the event with a song called 1944 about the ethnic cleansing of Crimean Tatars in that year by Soviet forces.