Hollywood Stars Including Helen Mirren & Liev Schreiber Sign Open Letter Supporting Israel’s Inclusion In Eurovision
14.02.2024 - 12:39
/ deadline.com
A group of 400 actors, musicians and entertainment execs including Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber and Gene Simmons have penned an open letter supporting the decision for Israel to remain in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Released by non-profit industry org Creative Community for Peace, the letter backs the decision of Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to keep Israel in this year’s contest. The EBU has been under pressure from detractors to ban the nation over the bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ October 7 attacks.
Other signees include Scooter Braun, Boy George, Mayim Bialik, Haim Saban, Julianna Margulies, Sharon Osbourne and Debra Messing.
Punishing Israel would be an “inversion of justice,” the letter says. “Israel is fighting a war against a European Union-designated terrorist group that once again broke a ceasefire that day, and then went on to slaughter over 1,200 people,” it adds. “This current round of fighting is not a war that Israel wanted or started.” Read it in full below.
The letter adds that Israel has a “storied” history on Eurovision, having won the contest four times most recently in 2018. “Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics,” it reads.
Israel’s place at Eurovision has been challenged by The Finnish and Icelandic industries, with the former pressuring its local broadcaster to pull its entry if Israel isn’t removed. But the EBU has repeatedly held firm and insists that Israel’s conflict with Gaza is distinct from Russia’s with Ukraine, which has seen Russia banned for the past couple of years.
This year’s Eurovision will take place in Malmo in May. The