Minister of State Weimer against "Cancel Culture" at the ESC
The debate surrounding Israel's participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Vienna is intensifying. Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, more and more voices are calling for the country's exclusion from the music competition. Germany's Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, is now warning against such exclusion.
The ESC was founded with the idea of uniting nations through music, he explained. "Anyone who excludes Israel today is turning this fundamental idea on its head and turning a celebration of mutual understanding into a tribunal."
Weimer: Art counts, not nationalityThe ESC thrives on artists being judged on their art, not their nationality. "Cancel culture is not the answer—the answer should be diversity and solidarity," Weimer continued. Should the competition degenerate into a "stage of exclusion," others would benefit, the politician pointed out: " Russia, for example, has long been trying to build its own alternative world with a remake of the old Eastern Bloc competition 'Intervision.'"
Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Foreign Minister of the host country, Austria, expressed similar sentiments. A possible boycott in response to Israel's participation would "prevent the possibility of an important dialogue between artists and the population—without improving the situation on the ground in Israel and Gaza," Meinl-Reisinger wrote to her counterparts.
The Eurovision Song Contest is the largest non-sporting live event in the world. More than 160 million viewers watch the competition annually. Performers from all member states of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are eligible to compete, including Israel, Cyprus, Georgia , Armenia , and Azerbaijan . For 2026, several countries—including Ireland, Spain , the Netherlands , and Slovenia —are threatening a boycott should Israel participate.
Will the EBU find a solution?The EBU plans to decide on Israel's participation at its General Assembly in December. "We understand the concerns and deeply held beliefs regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East," explained ESC Director Martin Green. However, the broadcasting union appeared overwhelmed at the past two ESC finals, trying to keep politics out of the competition and achieve consensus among the participating countries. The outcome of a so-called consultation process on Israel initiated by the EBU appears completely open.
While the Eurovision Song Contest aims to be neutral and non-political, it has never been able to detach itself from global politics. As a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine, Russia is no longer allowed to participate. In 1975, the Cyprus conflict led to a boycott of Greece . In 1979, Turkey withdrew from the final in protest against Israel's actions in the Middle East.
In the wake of the Balkan Wars, the EBU took action, particularly against Serbia and its then-President Slobodan Milosevic. However, there has never been a conflict on the scale of this year's—it's a true test of the world's most prestigious music competition.
The Eurovision Song Contest will be held next year in the Austrian capital, Vienna. The semifinals are scheduled for May 12 and 14, 2026. The grand finale is scheduled for May 16.
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