Nemo, the winner of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, has announced they will be returning their trophy after Israel was permitted to compete in next year’s competition.
The 26-year-old Swiss singer, who triumphed with their song “The Code”, was the first openly non-binary musician to win Eurovision.
In a statement posted on Instagram, they wrote: “Even though I’m immensely grateful for the community around this contest and everything this experience has taught me both as a person and artist, today I no longer feel this trophy belongs on my shelf.”
The singer’s decision comes after Iceland became the fifth country to boycott the 2026 contest over Israel’s participation earlier this week.
Iceland joined Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying that they will not be a part of next year’s competition, amid calls for Israel to be excluded over its military action in Gaza.
The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) previously backed away from calling a vote on Israeli participation, and instead passed rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.
After countries and their broadcasters began to announce their boycotts, the BBC backed the EBU’s decision, with a spokesperson saying: “We support the collective decision made by members of the EBU. This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive.”
The Conservatives said it was “absolutely right” for Israel to be part of Eurovision.
Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said: “It is deeply concerning to see so many countries choosing to boycott the event because of Israel’s inclusion. Music should be a uniting force, not a tool to be weaponised for political ends.
“We trust the government will clearly rule out joining or legitimising this boycott in any capacity.”
Labour minister Alison McGovern said it will be “really sad” if Eurovision is not a “joyful occasion”.
Irish national broadcaster RTE, on the other hand, has said it will not broadcast the song contest, describing Israel’s participation as “unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza”.
The 2026 contest will be held in Vienna in May, after a Austria’s act, JJ, narrowly won the 2025 competition with “Wasted Love”, beating Israeli singer Yuval Raphael.
After the EBU announced the decision to allow Israel to compete, the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, wrote on social media: “Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed.”
The EBU has previously banned countries from participating. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, it has not been allowed to compete.
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