The campaign “Malta: No Music for Genocide” is calling on the Maltese Government and the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) to join Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland and withdraw Malta’s participation from the 2026 Eurovision, following the EBU’s decision to allow Israel to participate.
Cultural events are inherently political, as demonstrated when Russia was barred from participating in Eurovision following its invasion of Ukraine. In contrast, during its ongoing genocide in Gaza, Israel allocated a record budget to its Eurovision participation, clearly instrumentalising the competition for political ends. This illustrates how global cultural platforms can be used to project legitimacy while obscuring grave human rights violations.
Art, however, is not only a vehicle for state narratives; it is also a powerful voice of resistance, dissent, and ethical responsibility. For this reason, the Maltese Government should disassociate itself from any state that exploits international cultural events to conceal ethnic cleansing and genocide, and should instead uphold the role of culture as a space for accountability rather than whitewashing.
The world has just witnessed a two-year extermination campaign by Israel in Gaza, during which over 70,000 Palestinians were massacred, including children, journalists, and health workers who were deliberately targeted, with the territory systematically razed to the ground. Despite repeated ceasefire announcements, the reality on the ground in Gaza and the occupied West Bank remains one of devastation, displacement, apartheid, and systematic oppression. Palestinians continue to be killed, their homes destroyed, and their lives relentlessly disrupted by the Israeli army and settlers’ violence.
Moreover, Israel’s colonial aggression is not confined to Palestine. Its expansionist plans are ever-growing; it attacks and kills civilians in neighbouring countries and is currently illegally occupying parts of Lebanon and Syria.
In this context, allowing Israel to appear as a “normal” participant in a global cultural event erases these realities, perpetuating the deadly message that Israel can act with impunity.
Across Europe and beyond, activists, artists, and civil society organisations have mobilised to challenge Israel’s participation in the Eurovision, exposing the contradiction between celebrating culture and ignoring mass human suffering. Kan, the Israeli national broadcaster, has repeatedly disseminated content that dehumanises Palestinians, incites hatred, and promotes genocidal policies pursued by Israel. The Eurovision, while framed as a celebration of unity and diversity, is providing a platform for institutions engaged in brutal and systematic violence against a civilian population.
Malta is not exempt from responsibility. The Maltese Government has formally recognised the State of Palestine and presents itself internationally as a defender of human rights and international law.
It is time to give shape to these commitments through clear action by taking a stand alongside our European counterparts as the sixth nation to withdraw from the Eurovision. Such a step would constitute a moral obligation, remaining true to Malta’s stated values and principles of justice while signalling a commitment to holding Israel accountable for its actions.
We call on the Maltese Government and Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), Malta’s state-owned broadcasting station, to suspend Malta’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest for as long as the genocidal State of Israel is permitted to compete.
We recognise that Eurovision has long served as an important international platform for Maltese artists and creatives. However, this moment goes beyond cultural exposure or artistic opportunity. When a global cultural event is instrumentalised to legitimise or distract from grave human rights violations, participation becomes a political act rather than a neutral cultural one.
We therefore also call on artists, creative professionals, cultural organisations, civil society organisations, and the general public to take a clear and principled stand by joining the call for Malta to boycott Eurovision 2026.
There can be no peace without justice, and no justice while Israel’s Zionist project continues to carry out ethnic cleansing and genocidal policies against the Palestinian people. Malta now faces a clear choice: to participate in the normalisation of genocide, or to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom, dignity, and self-determination.
Artists, creative professionals, cultural organisations, cultural spaces, and civil society organisations can endorse the campaign by filling in this form or by sending an email to info@maltanomusicforgenocide.org. Please indicate the name you wish to appear on the website and attach a picture (such as a personal photo, logo, or other relevant image).
