- Opinion
- 30 Oct 25
Demonstration to be held at RTÉ headquarters in support of Eurovision boycott
The protest will take place at RTÉ's Dublin headquarters at 12:30 p.m. on November 1.
A demonstration is set to be held at RTÉ's Dublin headquarters on November 1 in support of the broadcaster's boycott of Israel's participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) said the date is "European Day of Action on Eurovision" in an Instagram post announcing the protest.
"Join us outside RTÉ at 12:30 pm as we support any friendly workers and tell RTÉ to stand firm on their boycott so long as Israel is part of Eurovision," IPSC said.
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RTÉ is one of multiple European broadcasters, including Spain and the Netherlands, which have threatened to boycott Eurovision if Israel remains in the lineup.
In response to the mounting international pressure, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) — which organises the contest — planned to meet online in November to determine whether Israel would be allowed to participate.
However, the EBU announced earlier this month they will no longer hold the emergency vote, citing "recent developments in the Middle East."
While the EBU said they have "put the issue" of Israel's inclusion in the contest "on the agenda" of their usual General Assembly in December, it is unclear if a formal vote will still take place.
The EBU has emphasised a stance of political neutrality in recent years, despite facing public backlash over its inclusion of Israel.
Protests against Israel's participation were held in the 2025 host city of Basel as well as in Malmö in 2024. Both years, multiple competitors spoke out publicly against the EBU's decision to allow Israel.
Saturday's demonstration will follow a previous IPSC protest earlier this week, which was related to Israel's deadly violations of the ceasefire agreement.
IPSC media coordinator Betty Purcell told Hot Press at the October 29 protest that a boycott is the most efficient course of action.
"The EBU can make the decision if they want an inclusive Eurovision," Purcell said.
"It's very simple: exclude Israel, and everyone will turn up and everyone will have a fine time. That's what we would like."
When asked about the opportunity for protest on the stage of Eurovision — such as previous Irish entrant Bambie Thug, whose stage makeup featured the words "Ceasefire" and "Freedom for Palestine" written in ogham script — Purcell said that while well-intentioned, they would still be participating in "an artwash for Israel's genocide" and are "not something that we would recommend."
The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place at Vienna's Wiener Stadthalle, Austria’s largest indoor arena – with the final set for May 16 and the semi-finals taking place on May 12 and 14.
