RAI, the Italian national broadcaster, has called on the EBU, the European Broadcasting and ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster, to invite a Palestinian artist to perform at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna.

The Italian public broadcaster has confirmed that it has made a request that a Palestinian artist be allowed to perform in a non-competitive position at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna. The suggestion comes as three RAI Board Members released a statement, had the following to say:

“Palestine must be welcomed onto the Eurovision stage, if we don’t want to undermine the values ​​of inclusion and brotherhood that music embodies.

The Italian public service broadcaster proposed evaluating editorial choices capable of giving visibility, in a non-competitive manner, to an artist representative of Palestinian culture, as a sign of civic sensitivity and the promotion of dialogue. To date, no response has been received from the EBU or ORF, the Austrian broadcaster organizing the event. But international pressure can still influence the decisions of European broadcasters, who will meet with ORF in mid-March to define the editorial content for the three evenings in Vienna.”

Let us know what you think about Italy, Palestine and the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

The Eurovision Community, which Eurovision Ireland are a part of, celebrates diversity through music. Please keep your comments respectful. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming or any other derogatory or hostile language.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: Eurovoix