Slovenia to air films about Palestine instead of Eurovision song contest

National broadcasters in Ireland, Spain and Slovenia will not air the Eurovision song contest this year, after they decided to boycott the event over Israel’s participation.

Having already announced it would not submit a national entry, Slovenian broadcaster RTV confirmed on Thursday it would implement a broadcasting blackout of the world’s largest live music event and instead show a series of films about Palestine.

“We will not be broadcasting the Eurovision song contest,” RTV Slovenia’s director Ksenija Horvat told the Associated Press. “We will be airing the film series ‘Voices of Palestine’, featuring Palestinian documentaries and feature films.”

Spain’s RTVE reiterated its decision not to air Eurovision last week, meaning the musical extravaganza will not be shown on Spanish television for the first time since the country started participating in 1961. Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉannounced last December it would neither broadcast nor participate in the event.

The Netherlands and Iceland also walked out of the event last December, but the contest will be shown on their respective national broadcasters, NPO and RÚV.

This year’s competition, Eurovision’s 70th anniversary, will have 35 competing countries and is scheduled to take place in Vienna, the Austrian capital, from 12 to 16 May.

Their walk-out was prompted by the decision of the organising body, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), to allow Israel to compete despite criticisms of its conduct in the war in Gaza.

Slovenia’s premier, Robert Golob, who was re-elected in a tight election this March, has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war and, in August 2025, his government announced a ban on the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as part of its response to “the Israeli government’s policy that undermines prospects for lasting peace”.

Taking place under the slogan “United by Music”, the Eurovision contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly struggled to keep global turmoil off the stage. Russia has been barred from taking part since 2022, after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The war in Gaza has sent ripples of unrest through the song contest, with organisers reacting to protests outside the venues by clamping down on political flag-waving.

This year’s edition will introduce new rules designed to stop governments and third parties from promoting songs to influence voters.

Some countries had raised concerns over undue promotion methods after Israel topped the public vote at the contest in May, finishing second overall after the jury votes were taken into consideration.