Nemo, the Swiss non-binary winner of Eurovision 2024 with "The Code", has said they will return their trophy in protest after the EBU confirmed Israel may take part in next year’s contest. Five countries — including Spain, the Netherlands and Iceland — have withdrawn in response to the EBU decision. Nemo cited the findings of a UN inquiry into the Gaza conflict and urged the EBU to align its actions with the contest’s values of inclusion and dignity.
Eurovision Winner Nemo to Return Trophy in Protest Over Israel's Inclusion
Nemo says Eurovision has been ‘repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing’ - AP/Martin Meissner
Nemo, the Swiss non-binary singer who won Eurovision 2024 with the song "The Code", has announced they will return their Eurovision trophy to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in protest after the union confirmed Israel may take part in next year’s contest.
The move follows the EBU's decision last week to clear Israel to compete despite international controversy surrounding the war in Gaza. In response to the EBU ruling, five countries — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland (via public broadcaster RÚV) — have withdrawn from the competition.
Yuval Raphael represented Israel last year, finishing in second place - AP/Martin Meissner
Nemo said Israel’s continued participation conflicts with the contest’s stated values of inclusion, unity and dignity for all. In an Instagram post the artist cited the findings of the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry into the Occupied Palestinian Territory (including East Jerusalem) and Israel when explaining their decision.
"Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion, and dignity for all people. And these are the values that make this contest so meaningful for me," Nemo wrote. "But Israel’s continued participation, during what the UN’s ... Commission has concluded, shows there’s a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions the EBU is making."
The singer — who uses they/them pronouns — said the withdrawals by several countries made it clear something was seriously wrong and announced they would send their trophy to the EBU’s headquarters in Geneva.
The war in Gaza has prompted five countries to pull out of next year’s Eurovision - AFP/Omar al-Qattaa
"This is not about individuals or artists. It’s about the fact that the contest was repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while the EBU insists that this contest is non-political," Nemo wrote. "Live what you claim. If the values we celebrate on stage aren’t lived off stage, then even the most beautiful songs become meaningless. I’m waiting for the moment those words and actions align. Until then, this trophy is yours."
Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations of genocide, saying it has complied with international law and has the right to defend itself following the cross-border Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which precipitated the wider conflict.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions about whether international cultural events can — or should — remain strictly non-political when participants or their governments are the focus of serious human-rights and security controversies.
