Eurovision finalists to take the stage amid boycott from Spain, Ireland and others over Israel’s presence

(CNN) — Despite Eurovision’s insistence it is apolitical, politics has always been part of the continent-wide song contest, as much a feature as whatever constellation of pyrotechnics and power ballads are on display that year.

But where, previously, politics was somewhat of a punchline, a useful indicator for cynical fans to guess which country might award points to another, this year it is threatening to overshadow the entire contest.

Five countries – Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland – are boycotting this year’s event over Israel’s continued participation in it, marking the biggest crisis in the contest’s 70-year history.

The furor has dampened the festivities of the normally high-camp, joyful, gaudy extravaganza, in which acts representing different, mostly European countries each perform a song, competing to be crowned the winner after a public and jury vote.

It was watched by 166 million people on TV last year and has become a key cultural touchstone for the LGBTQ+ community. But only 35 countries traveled to Vienna, Austria for this year’s contest, which culminates in Saturday’s grand final, representing the lowest number of competitors since 2004. Visiting fan numbers may also be down.

“We can see that there are tickets still available for the final on Saturday, which is kind of unheard of,” Frank Dermody, president of the Irish Eurovision Fanclub, told CNN from Vienna. Where around 800 Irish fans will normally travel to the host city, this year only about 40 have made the trip, he said.

“There’s a lot of people from other countries who are not coming as well. They just don’t feel comfortable. They might get FOMO in the coming days and just turn up to the city itself but right now I would say there’s a smaller than average crowd,” he said.

Rule changes after claims of influence effort

Israel’s participation in the contest has proven controversial for the past two years due to its war in Gaza, sparking some protests and boycotts from fans.

In December, divisions between the countries who make up the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes Eurovision, burst into the open when they met to discuss the matter.

They ended up not holding a vote on Israel’s participation in the contest but introduced “targeted changes” to “reinforce trust, transparency and the neutrality of the event,” the EBU said in December. Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia promptly announced their boycott, and Iceland joined a week later. At the time, Israel’s foreign minister said he was “ashamed” of the countries boycotting the contest.

That all came after rumors and accusations that the Israeli government had influenced the results of the last two competitions by promoting a mass voting campaign.

The EBU has never commented publicly on such allegations, but a New York Times investigation published Monday described a “well-organized campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that embraced Eurovision as a soft power tool, and a secretive contest organizer that was ill-equipped to respond.”

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment to CNN. Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs, said in a statement that his ministry “has identified a sharp and coordinated surge in antisemitic and anti-Israel discourse surrounding Eurovision 2026.”

Under the contest’s previous rules, one person could vote up to 20 times, meaning that a few hundred people could sway the public vote, the Times found. Eurovision director Martin Green told the Times that Israel’s actions “were excessive” but did not contribute to the country’s second-place finish.

Nonetheless, the EBU has this year reduced the maximum number of times a person can vote to 10. And organizers issued a statement Saturday saying the EBU had told the Israeli delegation, represented by singer-songwriter Noam Bettan, to remove videos it had published “with an on-screen instruction to ‘vote 10 times for Israel.’”

“We are satisfied that this video did not form part of such a (wider) campaign,” the statement added. “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.”

When Bettan performed in his semifinal on Tuesday, jeers and shouts of “Stop, stop the genocide” could clearly be heard from the audience inside the arena. In a later statement, the EBU said one person “close to a microphone, loudly expressed their views as the Israeli artist began his performance … They were later removed by security for continuing to disturb the audience.” Three other people were also removed for “disruptive behavior,” the EBU added, without giving further detail.

Bettan was aware of the protests while performing, he told the BBC. “I heard there was booing and everything, and there was a moment of, like, a wow effect, you know? A little bit of shock,” he said.

Artists sign open letters

Rather than being its usual beacon of community, all-round fun and queer pride, Eurovision has instead transformed into a political tug-of-war.

More than 2,100 artists including Brian Eno, Massive Attack and Peter Gabriel signed an open letter condemning Israel’s participation, while a separate open letter signed by over 1,000 figures, including Helen Mirren, Amy Schumer and Scooter Braun, supported Israel’s participation in the contest.

For human-rights organization Amnesty International, Israel’s continuing participation “offers the country a platform to try to deflect attention from and normalize its ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza strip.” Israel has denied any accusations its war in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7 attacks constitutes a genocide. The country’s recent bombardment of Lebanon, killing thousands in response to Hezbollah strikes launched after joint US-Israeli strikes assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also drawn widespread condemnation internationally.

Some of the boycotting broadcasters aren’t showing the contest. Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV is airing a series of films and documentaries under the banner “Voices of Palestine” instead. Ireland’s RTÉ will show an episode of popular sitcom Father Ted where the main characters perform in Eurovision.

Eurovision is structured in such a way that national broadcasters organize the contest, meaning that they often align with the policies of their respective government, noted Eurovision content creator Gabe Milne, known for his YouTube channel ESCGabe.

The controversy over Israel’s participation “just shows that the interests of the EBU as the organizer and controller of this event and the interest of the contest have diverged so much now. … I wonder whether you have to fundamentally rethink the decision-making process, the leadership model, and the way it is owned,” he told CNN.

“There are much bigger questions that this has raised, but it’s clear that in a world like this, the contest is not equipped in its current form to adequately handle the kinds of conditions that it’s been placed under.”

What about the music?

For both Milne and Dermody, long-time Eurovision fanatics who have traveled to Vienna, the contest is somewhat diminished this year.

“It still has a lot of the things we love about Eurovision, but I think there is a very distinct feeling that it’s a little flat and forlorn and it doesn’t feel quite as joyous as it normally does,” said Milne.

Still, some things remain familiar. If you turned on your TV during San Marino’s performance in the first semifinal, you might have rubbed your eyes and thought “That person looks a lot like Boy George.” Well, that’s because it was. Of course Boy George was part of San Marino’s set – this is Eurovision, after all. Alas, San Marino didn’t qualify for the final.

As ever, there’s something for everyone, the songs whiplashing from pop to opera to heavy metal and back again. Finland’s song, the bookies’ favorite, is one of several angsty entries this year. Performed by Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, “Liekinheitin” is an electropop bop, complete with a violin solo by internationally acclaimed violinist Lampenius, flames falling from the ceiling and lyrics like: “You set me on fire//But you’re never fully mine//Oh so hot, yet cold as ice.”

Greece’s Akylas, performing in a tiger-inspired costume, is also expected to do well. His song “Ferto” weaves together traditional Greek instruments and video game-like beats in an incredibly fun romp through everything he thinks fame can bring, as represented by falling emojis, riding a scooter and backing dancers dressed as Greek statues and knitting ladies, before turning into a ballad about the financial struggles his mum faced while he was growing up. Somehow, it works.

Keep an eye too on Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund – performing another angsty, catchy bop making liberal use of fire metaphors to describe a toxic relationship – and France’s Monroe who, at just 17, showcases her rich voice in the operatic “Regarde !” (Yes, the space is supposed to be there.)

As the performers take the stage for the glitzy grand final on Saturday, many watching will hope the controversy of the run-up is left well behind.

“Eurovision is one of the most unique communities I’ve ever come across in my life,” said Dermody, “and it’s very hard to describe the atmosphere that Eurovision brings to people. It makes you feel welcome and joyous … It’s a great festival of craziness, uniqueness and oddities and it’s ours. It would be very upsetting to see something truly uniquely European disappear.”

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CNN’s Charlotte Reck, Billy Stockwell and Tal Shalev contributed reporting