The Albany Gazette - Boycotting Spain, Ireland, Slovenia will not show Eurovision

The three countries, along with the Netherlands and Iceland, pulled out of this year's event in Vienna, which kicks off on Tuesday and culminates in Saturday's grand final.

Controveresy has mounted over the conduct of Israel's war in the Gaza Strip and the tree are among five countries boycotting the event.

Suspicions have been raised that the televoting system was being manipulated to boost Israel at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Some broadcasters also raised concerns about media freedom, with Israel preventing their journalists from accessing Gaza.

"Instead of the Eurovision circus, the national television programme will be coloured by the thematic programme series 'Voices of Palestine'," Slovenian broadcaster RTV said.

During Thursday's second semi-final, Ireland's RTE will be showing "The End of the World with Beanz", featuring 1993 Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh in Norway experiencing life as a reindeer herder.

And during the final, it will screen a Eurovision-themed episode of the popular 1990s Irish-made sitcom "Father Ted".

Spain's RTVE will run its own musical special, "The House of Music".

Public service broadcasters in the Netherlands and Iceland will screen the competition, despite both pulling out.

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, and the Austrian capital is pulling out all the stops to host the world's biggest live televised music event.

Only 35 countries will take part in the show -- the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004 -- following the five withdrawals.

First held in 1956, Eurovision is run by the European Broadcasting Union, the world's biggest alliance of public-service media.

Amnesty International said that the EBU's failure to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was "an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards".

Israel's participation "offers the country a platform to try to deflect attention from and normalise its ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip", Amnesty's secretary general Agnes Callamard said in a statement.

"Songs and sequins must not be allowed to drown out or distract from Israel's atrocities or Palestinian suffering."

A UN-backed probe in September determined that "genocide is occurring in Gaza" - something Israel vehemently denies.

(F.Allen--TAG)