The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent
Ireland has announced it will boycott the Eurovision song contest again next year, joining the Netherlands and possibly Spain in protesting against Israel's participation due to ongoing conflict in Gaza. RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, cited “appalling” civilian deaths and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza as reasons for its decision. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, recently announced that broadcasters cannot host if their state is involved in an armed conflict or sensitive geopolitical situation.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ, will boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest for the second consecutive year due to ongoing conflict in Gaza. The contest is set to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria. RTÉ stated that Ireland’s participation cannot be justified given the “appalling and ongoing loss of lives” in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis affecting civilians there. In 2026, Ireland joined four other countries — the Netherlands, Iceland, Slovenia, and Spain — in boycotting the contest to protest Israel's inclusion. Additionally, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced its own boycott for 2027, citing Eurovision as a platform no longer neutral due to Israel’s involvement in military conflict.
Written for “Ireland Eurovision Boycott” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
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Ireland is to boycott Eurovision for the second year running over the “appalling” ongoing killing in Gaza, the national broadcaster has said.
left describes Israel's actions negatively
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RTÉ announced on Thursday it would not participate in the 2027 competition. The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced its own boycott last month, calling Eurovision a “platform for division”. In a statement, the Irish broadcaster said: “RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”
left criticizes Israel's involvement and supports boycott
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Avrotros said it would not take part, claiming the competition “can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict”.
left questions neutrality of Eurovision due to Israel's involvement
Leaning score -0.45 for article 16105 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-17
Ireland is to boycott Eurovision for the second year running over the “appalling” ongoing killing in Gaza, the national broadcaster has said.
asserted
broadcaster → boycott → Gaza
Ireland was one of five countries, along with Iceland, Netherlands, Spain, and Slovenia, that refused to take part in the competition this year in protest against Israel’s participation.
asserted
that → refuse → participation
RTÉ announced on Thursday it would not participate in the 2027 competition.
asserted
it → announce → competition
The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced its own boycott last month, calling Eurovision a “platform for division”.
asserted
broadcaster → announce → division
In a statement, the Irish broadcaster said: “RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”
asserted
which → say → risk
Next year’s Eurovision is to be held in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas after the country won for the first time in May.
uncertain
country → hold → May
Avrotros said it would not take part, claiming the competition “can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict”.
asserted
country → say → conflict
Eurovision’s director, Martin Green, said he regretted but respected RTÉ’s decision.
asserted
he → say → decision
“They remain a valued part of our family and will be missed,” he said.
asserted
he → remain → family
“That power to bring people together is at the heart of what makes the contest so special and is even more important now in an increasingly difficult and divided world.
asserted
contest → bring → world
“All broadcasters decide on an annual basis to participate in the following year’s contest.
asserted
broadcasters → decide → contest
We will remain in dialogue with RTÉ and hope to welcome them back to the contest in the future.”
The decision by Dutch and Irish broadcasters means next year’s contest will again be marred by controversy over Israel.
asserted
contest → remain → Israel
The European Broadcasting Union, which organises the event, has tried twice to address broadcasters’ concerns over the participation of Israel.
asserted
which → organise → Israel
Last year it reduced the number of votes that could be entered online or by telephone by one individual amid allegations Israel had mounted a disproportionate campaign for public votes.
uncertain
Israel → reduce → votes
Last month the EBU announced that broadcasters would no longer be eligible to host the Eurovision song contest if their state was involved in an “armed conflict” or in a “sensitive geopolitical situation”.
asserted
state → announce → situation
Eurovision has faced protests in and outside the competition venues in recent years over the participation of Israel, a competitor since 1973.
asserted
Eurovision → face → 1973
In 2024, the European Commission made an unusual intervention after the organisers banned audience members from waving the EU flag at the grand final in Sweden, describing the decision as “mind-blowing” and “regrettable”.
asserted
organisers → make → decision
Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 people have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, which was launched after Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people in an attack on southern Israel in October 2023.
asserted
fighters → say → October
A US-brokered ceasefire agreed last year calls for eventual reconstruction of the territory but Israeli strikes have continued.
asserted
strikes → broker → territory
According to Gaza’s health ministry, 1,369 Palestinians have been killed and 4,627 wounded since the fragile ceasefire took effect on 11 October 2025.
uncertain
ceasefire → accord → October
Reuters contributed to this report
asserted
Reuters → contribute → report
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