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Netherlands boycotts Eurovision 2027, citing loss of neutrality amid Gaza conflict
🇲🇽 Mexico /Conflict & Security

Netherlands boycotts Eurovision 2027, citing loss of neutrality amid Gaza conflict

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • The Netherlands will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, citing the event's loss of neutrality due to international conflicts.
  • Public broadcaster AVROTROS stated that the Eurovision Song Contest has become a platform for division, citing humanitarian suffering in Gaza and press freedom restrictions.
  • The Dutch broadcaster sought transparent rules from the European Broadcasting Union regarding participation of countries in military conflicts, but found recent changes insufficient.

The Netherlands announced its withdrawal from the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, with public broadcaster AVROTROS declaring the event is no longer neutral. The decision stems from the growing impact of international conflicts on the contest, particularly the war in Gaza.

Taco Zimmerman, AVROTROS director-general, stated that the "grave humanitarian suffering in Gaza and the continued restrictions on press freedom" make participation incompatible with the broadcaster's values of reliability, independence, and humanity. He argued that the Eurovision Song Contest has become a platform for division rather than unity.

It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Festival, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division.

— Taco ZimmermanDirector-general of AVROTROS, explaining the decision to withdraw from Eurovision.

AVROTROS had previously urged the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the contest's organizer, to establish clear rules for countries involved in military conflicts. However, the broadcaster found the EBU's recent changes insufficient to guarantee the contest's independent and neutral character. It remains unclear how the EBU assesses which countries can participate.

grave humanitarian suffering in Gaza and the continued restrictions on press freedom

— Taco ZimmermanCited as reasons why participation is incompatible with AVROTROS's values.

This decision follows a trend of discontent within the Eurovision community. In 2026, five countries, including the Netherlands, chose not to participate. Several former winners returned their trophies, and over a thousand cultural professionals signed an open letter calling for EBU intervention. The EBU recently announced that countries involved in armed conflicts would be excluded from hosting the event.

The Netherlands, a participant since the first contest in 1956 and a five-time winner, joins Iceland, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia in withdrawing from or refusing to broadcast the event. The 2026 contest saw a significant drop in viewership, with 131 million viewers tuning in, 35 million fewer than the previous year, partly due to boycotts over Israel's participation.

reliability, independence, and humanity

— Taco ZimmermanThe core values of AVROTROS that participation in the current Eurovision context violates.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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