Nemo, last year's Eurovision winner, said Thursday he was returning the 2024 trophy in protest over Israel's continued participation, which has already prompted five countries to pull out.
"I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf," the Swiss vocalist said on Instagram.
The Eurovision Song Contest, the world's biggest live televised music event, is put on by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
On December 4, members of the world's largest public service media alliance decided no vote was needed on Israel's inclusion in the glitzy annual extravaganza.
Widespread opposition to the two-year war in Gaza had led to mounting calls for Israel to be excluded.
The public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland have announced they are boycotting the 70th edition of the song contest, to be held in Vienna in May.
"Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion, and dignity for all people, and these are the values that make this contest so meaningful for me," Nemo said.
"But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows there's a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions the EBU is making.
Iceland's state broadcaster RUV on Wednesday announced it would boycott next year's Eurovision, citing the public debate in the island nation.
"When entire countries withdraw, it should be very clear that something is deeply wrong," said Nemo, 26.
"That's why I decided that I'm sending this trophy back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva with gratitude and with a clear message: live what you claim. If the values we celebrate onstage aren't lived offstage, then even the most beautiful songs become meaningless. I'm waiting for the moment those words and actions align.
"Until then, this trophy is yours."
Some 37 countries took part in the 2025 edition in Basel, Switzerland, won by Austrian operatic singer JJ with "Wasted Love".
Around 35 countries are ultimately expected to participate in Vienna.
rjm/gv
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Rocket shines under the northern lights | Space photo of the day for March 25, 2026 - 2Overlooked infertility care should be part of national health services, says WHO
- 3Insight: Pills, TikTok, weight-loss apps and the consumer-driven future of GLP-1s
- 4WATCH: IDF strikes, dismantles missile launchers in southern Lebanon
- 5Ethiopian earthquakes and volcanic eruptions: earth scientist explains the link
- Kids get diseases like lupus, too. As researchers hunt better treatments, this camp brings joy
- Avoid Slam: Clearing the Street for the Eventual fate of Standard Size Trucks
- Pick Your #1 Kind Of Treat
- Holiday travel: Best days to hit the road as 110 million Americans expected to drive over Christmas and New Year's
- Honda’s Biggest Flex Isn’t Its Superbikes, It’s Selling 500K Bikes In One Month
- One-third of asylum applications by Iranians approved in Germany
- China bans storing cremated remains in empty 'bone ash apartments'
- Role reversal: Ukraine moves training home and exports the lessons abroad
- The Developing Nearby Food Development and Its Advantages
