Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS has announced it will not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, saying the event can “no longer be considered neutral” amid divisions linked to the war in Gaza. Director-General Taco Zimmerman said on Monday that international conflicts were increasingly affecting the contest and turning it into a platform for division.
The announcement follows recent boycotts over Israel’s participation. Eurovision organisers said earlier this month that countries involved in armed conflict would be barred from hosting, but AVROTROS said the changes did not offer enough confidence that the competition’s independent and neutral character had been restored. Israel placed second in both the 2025 and 2026 contests.
Next year’s contest is scheduled for May 15 in Burgas, Bulgaria, after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year’s Vienna competition with “Bangaranga”. The event will be Bulgaria’s first time hosting Eurovision. This year’s contest drew 131 million viewers, 35 million fewer than the previous year, after five countries boycotted over Israel’s participation.
Share The public broadcaster in the Netherlands has announced it will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest because the event can “no longer be considered neutral” due to ongoing divisions over the war in Gaza. “It is undeniable that
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