Seventy percent of Britons say UK should boycott Eurovision over Israel's participation
A poll has found that seven in 10 people in Britain support a boycott of the 2026 Eurovision song contest over Israel's participation.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) gave Israel the green light to compete last Thursday.
Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands announced they will boycott the contest, after having called for Israel's exclusion over the genocide in Gaza and accusations Israel has employed unfair voting practices.
The BBC, Britain's public broadcaster, said it supported the decision to allow Israel to compete.
But a new survey commissioned by Pablo O'Hana, a senior political advisor who has worked for British ministers and in 2024 worked on Kamala Harris' unsuccessful campaign for the US presidency, has shown most of the UK public thinks differently.
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Eighty-two percent of British people believe Israel should be excluded from Eurovision in 2026, the poll revealed.
And if Israel is permitted to take part, 69 percent believe the UK should withdraw from the contest.
Three-quarters of Britons also believe banning Russia from the contest but not Israel is "inconsistent".
"Eurovision isn’t just about songs and staging - it’s about values. If Israel is permitted to compete, the people of Britain believe we should walk away," O'Hana said.
'Whitewashing genocide'
Despite an expected showdown at the general assembly of the EBU on Thursday, in the end no vote was taken on Israel's participation.
“A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision song contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place,” the EBU said.
Ed Davey, the leader of the UK's third-largest party, the Liberal Democrats, criticised Ireland and the other countries that have opted to boycott Eurovision, saying that "there is a ceasefire in Gaza and therefore this action is the wrong thing".
Davey has previously accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
MP Zarah Sultana, a key figure in the new left-wing Your Party, described Davey as "spineless".
Would Ed Davey have said:
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) December 6, 2025
“Apartheid is awful but banning South Africa from the Olympics? No, I don’t think boycotts will help South Africans or end apartheid. Let’s just vibe through human rights abuses.” ?
Spineless. https://t.co/swu5zQ7QaA
The Green Party, which had previously backed a ban on Israel's participation, said: "As Israel have been allowed to compete in Eurovision 2026, the UK must follow in the footsteps of Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands and boycott the competition.
"The world's largest live music event cannot be used to whitewash Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza," it added.
The Conservative Party's chairman Kevin Hollinrake insisted Britain is a "friend of Israel" and "should compete" in the contest.
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