Eurovision Fans Launch Campaign Against EBU Warning to Israeli Broadcaster
A grassroots campaign among Eurovision fans began after the European Broadcasting Union managing director issued a formal warning to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN over promotional videos for its contestant Noam Bettan. The videos encouraged voters to cast all 10 available votes for Israel ahead of the contest opening on May 12.
variety.comA grassroots campaign has started among Eurovision fans who say the European Broadcasting Union has treated the Israeli delegation unfairly. The effort follows a formal warning issued over the weekend by Eurovision managing director Martin Green to KAN, Israel’s public broadcaster.
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The campaign began shortly before the opening of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest on the evening of May 12. Green confirmed on Saturday that he had sent the warning after an advertising campaign featuring Israeli representative Noam Bettan was brought to the EBU’s attention.
Eurovoix News reported that the advertisements, released in 13 languages, called on voters to use all 10 of their votes for Israel and included instructions on how to cast them. Green said the EBU contacted the KAN delegation within 20 minutes and asked it to stop distribution of the videos and remove them from platforms.
“The Voting Instructions of the Eurovision Song Contest that cover promotion are predominantly directed at discouraging large-scale funded third-party campaigns, and we are satisfied that this video did not form part of such a campaign. However, employing a direct call to action to vote 10 times for one artist or song is also not in line with our rules nor the spirit of the competition,” Green said in a statement.
Green added that the EBU issued a formal warning letter to KAN and would continue to monitor promotional activities.
In response, some Eurovision fans in WhatsApp chat groups began circulating a message in several languages to be emailed to Green. The message expressed disappointment with the EBU’s demand that the Israeli delegation remove its promotional campaign for Noam Bettan’s song “Michelle” and the subsequent formal warning to KAN.
The fan message stated that the action appeared disproportionate because the EBU had acknowledged the materials did not violate rules on third-party or government funding. It described the justification based on the “spirit of the competition” as arbitrary and noted that EBU voting regulations allow up to 10 votes per user.
The message cited promotional campaigns currently being run by Malta and Poland that have not received similar warnings and called this a double standard. It concluded that the EBU’s approach contradicted its stated goal of a non-political event based on fairness and unity.
Yifat Gat, an Israeli-born artist living in France, said that many people were sending the message to the EBU in English and French. She added that there is growing frustration among fans who want to enjoy the show. Five countries—Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain—are boycotting this year’s contest over Israel’s participation.
The EBU has not publicly commented on the fan campaign or the specific examples raised in the circulating message.
