Ireland Pulls Out Of Eurovision 2027 Over Gaza Conflict

Ireland has pulled out of the Eurovision Song Contest for the second year running.

The country’s leading broadcaster, RTÉ, said in a statement it will not participate in, or broadcast, the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest.

“RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk,” the statement reads.

“RTÉ also remains deeply concerned by the continued denial of independent access to international journalists to the territory.”

Responding to RTÉ’s decision, Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) regretted the broadcaster wouldn’t be taking part, but “fully respect their decision”.

“They remain a valued part of our family and will be missed,” he said. “We will remain in dialogue with RTÉ and hope to welcome them back to the Contest in the future.”

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros has also confirmed that The Netherlands will not be returning to the song contest next year.

“Avrotros will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 because the event can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict,” they said. “Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are having a significant impact on the Contest and have led to deep divisions.

“Over the past year, Avrotros has called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to establish transparent rules for the participation of countries involved in military conflicts. However, the recently announced changes by the EBU do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored.

“Participation is therefore no longer consistent with the values of Avrotros: trustworthiness, independence and humanity.”

Five nations – Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland – pulled out of this year’s Eurovision contest in solidarity with Palestine, after it was revealed that Israel had been invited back to compete in the song contest.

Eurovision will take place in Bulgaria for the first time in 2027, following Dara’s win in 2026 with her song Bangaranga. It will mark the first time that Canada will be competing, after the country’s national broadcaster became part of the European Broadcasting Union earlier this year.

Earlier this year, Eurovision refreshed its rules to state that any country involved in an “armed conflict” could no longer serve as a host of the contest, even if they win at the previous year’s event.