The protest comes just days before the contest is due to take place in Vienna, with Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands having already pulled out of the contest this year.
Calls for boycott over Israel’s participation
Dozens of protesters gathered outside RTS headquarters yesterday waving Palestinian flags and holding banners accusing Israel of atrocities during the war in Gaza. The protesters urged RTS not to take part in the contest, not to broadcast the show and for Serbians to refrain from watching it.
About the protest, one of the organisers stated:
“A Eurovision without Israel would mean defending the ideals that this event proclaims,”
RTS has not reacted, but pulling out at this stage seems unlikely in part due to Serbia’s close ties with Israel.
Serbia will be represented by the metal band Lavina after they won Serbia’s national selection, Pesma za Evroviziju. They will take part in the first semifinal on May 12 in position #15.
The story of Eurovision 2026 so far
The journey to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following JJ’s win in Basel, when Austria’s ORF accepted the rights to host the 70th edition of the contest. The bidding process started in June, with interested cities having until July 4 to submit their bid book. Innsbruck and Vienna were shortlisted, with the latter winning the right to host next year’s contest. 35 countries will take part in the competition, the lowest number of competing entries since 2004.
As for the organisation of the competition, the ‘core team‘ was revealed in June 2025, with further details about next year’s competition to be revealed in due course. The shows will take place on May 12th, 14th and 16th.
As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News source : Associated Press
Photo credits : Darko Vojinovic / AP
Rory Gannon