NEWS
SWISS EUROVISION STAR, NEMO, RETURNS 2024 TROPHY IN PROTEST OVER ISRAEL’S “GENOCIDE OF PALESTINIANS” AS INTERNATIONAL BOYCOTTS RATTLE THE 2026 CONTEST
Swiss singer Nemo, winner of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, has ignited a major global conversation after announcing on Thursday that they will return their winner’s trophy in protest over Israel’s continued participation in the competition amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.
In a video posted on Instagram, Nemo appeared holding the iconic microphone-shaped glass trophy, stating that “today I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf.”
The artist criticized the contest’s organizers, saying: “Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion and dignity for all people,” but argued that Israel’s participation, “given its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza,” stands in direct contradiction to those principles.
Nemo, a nonbinary singer who captured global attention with their pop-operatic anthem “The Code” during the 2024 contest, said the decision was not taken lightly but was necessary as the controversy surrounding Eurovision deepens.
Their announcement comes amid growing dissent across Europe. Five nations, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland, have already declared they will boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after organizers refused to expel Israel.
“When entire countries withdraw it should be clear that something is deeply wrong,” Nemo said, before placing the trophy in a box that they said would be sent directly to the headquarters of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in Geneva, the body responsible for organizing Eurovision.
The developments cast uncertainty over the future of one of the world’s largest and most beloved cultural events.
Next year’s edition, scheduled for May in Vienna after Austrian singer JJ’s victory in the 2025 contest, is now overshadowed by international walkouts, political pressure, and rising public scrutiny.
Eurovision, which will mark its 70th anniversary in 2026, has long maintained that it is a celebration of music over politics. Yet the contest has frequently been swept into global tensions, most notably in 2022 when Russia was expelled following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Gaza has particularly strained the competition for the past two years, drawing protests outside venues and forcing organizers to tighten restrictions on political symbols inside arenas.
Critics opposing Israel’s participation point to the devastating toll of the conflict, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel insists its military campaign is a direct response to the October 7, 2023 attack, during which Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages.
Several international experts, including those working under a U.N. mandate have described Israel’s offensive as constituting genocide, an accusation Israel has repeatedly and emphatically rejected.
As the controversy deepens, Nemo’s dramatic return of the Eurovision trophy has further pushed the contest to a crossroads, raising difficult questions about the future of a show meant to unite nations through music, even as global conflicts continue to test its foundational ideals.