After securing victory at the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final over the weekend, Austrian singer JJ is now calling for Israel’s removal from the competition.
JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, clinched the win on Saturday night in Basel, Switzerland, with his song Wasted Love.
The contest this year was overshadowed by protests against Israel's participation, fuelled by the ongoing war in Gaza, where thousands of lives have been lost and humanitarian supplies have been blocked.
Israel was represented by Yuval Raphael, 24, with New Day Will Rise, who finished second after climbing the leaderboard during the jury vote.
Following his win, the 24-year-old echoed sentiments expressed by 2024 winner Nemo of Switzerland, agreeing that parts of Eurovision need “fixing,” particularly the issue of which countries are allowed to participate.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper El País, JJ said: “It is very disappointing to see that Israel is still participating in the contest. I would like next year’s Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel. But the ball is in the EBU’s court. We, the artists, can only raise our voices on the matter. “
JJ also spoke out about Eurovision’s decision to prohibit acts from displaying Pride flags on stage.
Calling it a “step backwards,” he shared that, although the audience was allowed to display flags, he was not permitted to do so himself.
“I tried to sneak in a flag during the finals. But I got caught,” he told the outlet. “I had it tucked away in a pocket of my pants, and someone from the organisation saw what I was carrying. Just before I went on stage, they told me, ‘That’s not your country’s flag; you can’t display it.’ I almost made it.”
Despite this setback, JJ remains determined to use his platform for advocacy.
“I’m going to take the opportunity and use this platform, as huge as Eurovision, to advocate for rights for the whole queer community and to make sure we have more equality,” he said. “There is still a huge stigma around us, and unfortunately, Europe is becoming more and more conservative, taking steps backwards. It’s very, very disappointing and something needs to be done about it.”
JJ’s comments come after the Eurovision was accused of permitting vote-rigging after Israel narrowly missed out on winning this year’s fiercely contested finale.
Spain's RTVE, Belgium's VRT and Ireland’s RTÉ have formally raised concerns with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) after Israel’s contestant finished second and dominated the public vote.
Her performance garnered a staggering 357 points, only trailing Austria’s JJ, whose track Wasted Love earned 436 points.
The Eurovision scoring system awards points from both a professional jury and the public vote, with a maximum of 12 points available from each.
Despite the juries awarding Israel zero points, the televoters in both Spain and Belgium awarded Raphael the full 12 points.
However, viewers at home can vote up to 20 times for a small cost charged to each vote by text or phone call.
This discrepancy has led to calls for an investigation into the televoting process, with concerns raised over the system’s vulnerability to manipulation.
