Netherlands Withdraws from Eurovision 2027 Over Gaza-Related Concerns

The Netherlands has announced it will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest. Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS said the decision was made due to the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on the impartiality of the contest.
The broadcaster said on Monday that as long as a participating country is involved in a large-scale ongoing military conflict, the contest cannot be considered neutral. AVROTROS stated that over the past year it had called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, to establish transparent rules regarding the participation of countries involved in military conflicts. However, it said the changes recently announced by the EBU are not sufficient to restore confidence that the contest’s independent and neutral status has been reinstated.
The broadcaster said its decision is fully in line with its values — reliability, freedom, and humanity — and cited the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and restrictions on press freedoms as factors contributing to growing division around Eurovision. It noted that five countries have already decided not to participate in the 2026 contest, former winners have returned their trophies, and more than a thousand musicians and cultural figures signed an open letter calling on the EBU to intervene.
AVROTROS Director-General Taco Zeeman said in a statement: “The Eurovision Song Contest was originally created to bring people and countries closer together. It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the contest, undermining its neutrality. The Eurovision Song Contest has become a platform for division.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, ongoing violations of the ceasefire had resulted in 1,286 Palestinians killed and 4,257 injured as of Sunday. The ministry also reported that since the Israeli war on Gaza began in October 2023, a total of 73,420 people have been killed and 174,369 injured.
Eurovision 2027 will be held in the Bulgarian coastal city of Burgas from May 11–15, marking the city’s first time hosting the contest.