Dutch public broadcaster to boycott ‘no longer’ neutral Eurovision

AVROTROS says escalating international conflicts are undermining the event’s neutrality and fuelling divisions.The public broadcaster in the Netherlands has announced it will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest because the event can “no longer be considered neutral” due to ongoing divisions over the war in Gaza.“It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division,” said Taco Zimmerman, Director-General of AVROTROS, in a statement on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3E1 settlement: Why Netanyahu, Israel’s right might not mind global outragelist 2 of 3US threat of ‘economic D-Day’ for Iran tests Trump’s China detentelist 3 of 3Give Imran Khan proper medical care, cricket legends urge Pakistani gov’tend of listThe widely-watched show has recently faced a series of boycotts over Israel’s participation. Organisers announced earlier this month that they would exclude any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.“However, the recently announced changes… do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored,” the AVROTROS statement added.Israel finished second in the competition – the world’s largest live televised music event – in both 2025 and 2026.Next year’s Eurovision is due to be held in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas, after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year’s contest in Vienna, Austria, with her catchy floor-filler ‘Bangaranga’. The contest on May 15 will be the first time the Balkan nation has hosted.Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, while also boosting the careers of artists such as Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John.