Gene Simmons, Sharon Osbourne and Boy George are among the celebrities who signed an open letter rejecting a move to block Israel from competing in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
The annual Eurovision song contest welcomes different nations to compete and includes countries outside Europe, including Israel and Australia, among others. There have been calls from artists from countries such as Sweden and Finland demanding Israel's exclusion from the contest due to the latter's current military action in Gaza.
Last month, a letter was issued on behalf of more than 1,000 Swedish artists, signed by musical artists such as Robyn, First Aid Kit and Fever Ray, which said in part: “Allowing Israel's participation undermines not only the spirit of the competition but the entire public service mission. It also sends a signal that governments can commit war crimes without consequences. Therefore, we call on the EBU: exclude Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.”
In response, the non-profit organization “Creative Community for Peace” has wrote his own letter that includes signatures from Simmons, Osbourne and Boy George, along with Helen Mirren, Emmy Rossum, Mayim Bialik, Debra Messing, Diane Warren, Liev Schreiber, Scooter Braun and Selma Blair, among many others.
A press release includes individual statements, including one from Simmons of KISS that reads: “Music unites people of all backgrounds. It is the only language that everyone can understand. It's a beautiful thing and a great way to bring people together. “Those who advocate excluding an Israeli singer from Eurovision do not move the needle towards peace, but only further divide the world.”
Bialik writes: “After a horrendous violent attack against Israeli civilians, calls to boycott and exclude Israeli artists from international events simply because they are Israeli are abhorrent and shameful. “Attacking Israeli musicians in this way tarnishes the unifying spirit that is Eurovision.”
The general open letter adds: “We have been surprised and disappointed to see some members of the entertainment community calling for Israel to be banished from the Contest for responding to the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Under cover of thousands of rockets fired indiscriminately at civilian populations, Hamas murdered and kidnapped innocent men, women and children.”
As of now, the European Broadcasting Union has committed to including Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place on May 7, 8 and 11 at the Malmö Arena in Sweden this year. Israel is sending 20-year-old singer Eden Golan to compete in the contest.
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