BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� In an ornate Brussels concert hall, Palestinian songwriter Bashar Murad stood before hundreds and delivered a mournful performance of Nina Simone鈥檚 鈥淚 Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free鈥� in English and Arabic. When the final notes faded, the audience erupted.
The performance Tuesday evening was part of a protest movement against this week鈥檚 in Vienna, with Israel鈥檚 participation sparking anger over its devastating military campaign in Gaza and elsewhere.
Five nations, including Spain and Ireland, are boycotting the as performers from 35 countries compete in Europe鈥檚 annual pop music competition, which marks its Ten countries including Israel and favorite Finland in Saturday’s final of the contest, whose motto is 鈥淯nited by Music.鈥�
Alternative concerts are taking place across Europe this week, including the 鈥淯nited for Palestine鈥� event in Brussels, where European musicians performed alongside Murad and other Palestinian artists.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always amazing to be in the same room with people who believe in the same things as you and people who believe that we can鈥檛 just let the show go on,鈥� said Murad, who came close to being Iceland鈥檚 competitor in 2024.
Murad鈥檚 mother and father, a founding member of the influential Palestinian music group Sabreen, unsuccessfully petitioned the Geneva-based European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, to admit Palestine to the contest in 2007.
Since joining in 1973, Israel has won four times, giving the country visibility at a high-profile event that celebrates diversity. Many Israelis have said they feel they are being unfairly ostracized with the boycotts and other protests.
But Amnesty International secretary general Agn猫s Callamard said she believes Eurovision should throw Israel out of the competition like it did Russia in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
鈥淪ongs and sequins must not be allowed to drown out or distract from Israel鈥檚 atrocities or Palestinian suffering,鈥� she said.
New boycotts and calls for reform
Israel’s place in the contest has become contentious as outrage has grown over the carnage in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Iran, with and .
鈥淲e have to create an alternative because the participation of Israel is problematic,” said Katrien De Ruysscher, founder of the activist group SOS Gaza, which organized the Brussels event along with rights group 11.11.11.
The 2024 Eurovision contest in , and last year鈥檚 event in , saw that called for Israel to be expelled and that Israel’s government broke the contest’s rules to support its contestant.
Performers are judged by juries in participating nations and viewers around the world, and this year the broadcasting union tightened voting rules in response to the vote-rigging allegations.
But , spurring five countries 鈥� Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland 鈥� to boycott. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog welcomed the union’s decision, saying at the time that 鈥淚srael deserves to be represented on every stage around the world.鈥�
Alternatives across Europe
Organizers of the concert in Brussels said similar events are taking place in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Italy and Spain.
Spanish public television 鈥� which in past years broadcast the Eurovision contest 鈥� plans to air alternative broadcasting on Saturday evening. It said the program titled 鈥淟a Casa de la M煤sica鈥� will be a 鈥渢ribute to the musical legacy鈥� of the broadcaster, marking its 70th anniversary.
It will feature performances by 20 veteran and newcomer musicians including the winners of a Spanish contest, the Benidorm Fest, who would normally have gone to Eurovision.
However, none of the alternative events will boast an audience like the Eurovision contest, which drew 166 million viewers in 2025 and continues to draw enthusiastic fans this year.
Murad, the Palestinian musician, said he hoped the alternative events can spark some reflection of the pop cultural juggernaut’s original mission to unite people through song.
鈥淭he purpose of these alternative programs that are happening is to remind Eurovision what it鈥檚 actually about and to try to hopefully bring it back, to correct its course and make it actually live up to the things that it claims to be about,” he said. 鈥淎 lot of people in the world feel that the competition has lost its meaning.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Teresa Medrano contributed from Madrid, Spain.
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