Workers at RTP, the television channel that broadcasts Eurovision in Portugal, demand in an open letter that RTP not participate in or broadcast the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in light of the worsening situation in the Middle East, including extreme violence against civilians.

Appeal for a boycott

In an open letter, addressed to the president of the RTP Board of Directors, Nicolau Santos, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, and the Minister of Culture, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, the workers call for a boycott of Israel's participation in the Festival.

The RTP workers say they cannot condone cultural normalisation practices that contradict fundamental values ​​of human dignity, human rights, and international law.

“Allowing Israel to participate in an event that presents itself as a celebration of peace, diversity, and unity among peoples represents an affront to the victims, an attempt to whitewash crimes, and a cultural instrumentalisation that the Brazilian Public Service should not, cannot, and will not legitimise,” they emphasise.

Repudiation of administrative decisions

In the letter, they recall that in December, at a general workers' plenary, they expressed in writing their repudiation of the position taken by the president of the RTP Board of Directors, at the General Assembly of the EBU [European Broadcasting Union], in accepting the maintenance of Israel's participation in the festival.

Since then, and incomprehensibly in light of the worsening humanitarian situation and international law, this decision remains unchanged, ignoring the position expressed by the Public Service workers,” they emphasise.

Past decisions

The workers also recall that RTP supported the European Union's (EBU) decision in 2022 to exclude Russia from the festival in the face of the invasion of Ukraine.

“Today, in the face of the succession of events in the Middle East, which include extreme violence against civilians, mass forced displacement, deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure and persistent disinformation campaigns, it is not possible to remain silent,” they emphasise.

Appeal for non-participation

Therefore, the workers ask that RTP not participate in or broadcast the Festival while the European Broadcasting Union ignores conditions that constitute serious human rights violations.

They also appeal for the “Portuguese public service to affirm, through this gesture, that culture does not serve to whitewash crimes, nor to divert attention from actions condemned by the international community.”

“May this decision be understood as an ethical commitment to the populations who are victims of violence, displacement and persecution,” they say in the letter.

Rejecting censorship

They also emphasise that the boycott they propose “is not an act of cultural censorship, it is an act of moral responsibility in the face of the genocidal policies committed by the State of Israel.”

The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled for May in Austria, will once again be marked by the participation of Israel, which has been contested due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The semi-finals of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest are scheduled for 12 and 14 May, and the final for 16 May. Portugal, which this year will be represented by Bandidos do Cante with the song "Rosa", will perform in the first semi-final.

This year, 35 countries will compete in Eurovision, after Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland withdrew due to Israel's participation in the contest.