Organizers said Friday that an alternative music event titled “United for Palestine” will be held in Brussels to protest Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The event, scheduled for May 12, will coincide with the Eurovision semi-final in which Belgium and Israel are set to appear on the same night.
It is being organized as a cultural response to what participating NGOs and unions describe as the contest’s decision to include Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Brussels-based NGO 11.11.11 said in a statement.
Under the slogan “Don’t watch Eurovision. No stage for genocide,” the festival will feature former Eurovision contestants, Belgian musicians and Palestinian artists, combining music performances with spoken-word segments and solidarity messages, according to organizers.
The lineup includes former Belgian Eurovision representatives Gustaph, Laura Tesoro, Geike Arnaert and Walter Verdin of Pas de Deux, alongside several Belgian artists.
Organizers said the initiative is part of a wider European movement, with similar alternative events reportedly being prepared in several countries, including Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy and Slovenia.
The European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to compete in this year’s competition in Vienna has sparked backlash across parts of Europe.
Following the decision, broadcasters in five countries – Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain – announced they would withdraw from the 2026 contest.
Recently, more than 1,000 musicians signed an open letter calling for a boycott of the competition, while some public broadcasters in Europe decided not to air the contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the European Broadcasting Union, is one of the world’s largest televised music competitions and has banned Russian participation since 2022 over the war in Ukraine.
