Over 150 artists call on the Government to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 ahead of Saturday’s protest

Over 150 artists and other individuals involved in Malta’s arts scene have written to the Culture Minister and the PBS CEO calling for Malta’s withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 as long as Israel is allowed to participate. The letter was sent ahead of this Saturday’s protest, Malta: No Music for Genocide, which will start at 3pm outside Parliament and proceed to the Culture Ministry in Valletta.

Artists spanning musicians, actors, theatre directors, filmmakers, photographers and others stated in their letter to the Government that it is now time to act with courage and conscience.

They reminded the Government that cultural events are never politically neutral. The Eurovision itself set a precedent by barring Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, recognising that such platforms must not be used to legitimise aggression and human rights abuses. Yet today, Israel - while conducting what the United Nations has recognised as a case of genocide in Gaza, and while illegally occupying Palestinian land and parts of Lebanon and Syria - is being permitted to participate.

The signatories highlighted that participating in Eurovision alongside Israel contributes to a process of whitewashing and normalisation of actions that are systematically destroying Palestinian lives, targeting civilians, and violating international law with impunity.

The letter acknowledges that the Eurovision has been an important platform for Maltese artists. It also states, however, that when a cultural event is used to distract from or legitimise atrocities, participation ceases to be neutral and becomes a political endorsement. By joining Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland in withdrawing, Malta would send a powerful message: that culture must remain a space for accountability, not for the concealment of crimes.

The artists ended by stating that withdrawing from Eurovision 2026 would not merely be a symbolic gesture, but a moral obligation aligned with Malta’s stated principles of justice, human rights and dignity for all people 

The campaign Malta: No Music for Genocide is led by organisations in solidarity with Palestine, together with an organisation representing workers in the arts and entertainment industry. It has already received several endorsements, including from former President of the Republic Hon. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM), human rights organisations, a workers’ union, and people from the arts scene.