Seventeen musicians and performers from 12 acts, including Cristina Branco and Bateu Matou, announced today that they will refuse to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, should they win the RTP Song Festival, in protest against Israel’s participation.
Cristina Branco, the musicians from Bateu Matou, Rita Dias and Djodje are among those who signed the statement, in which they lament that RTP aligned itself in favor of Israel’s participation , in a vote, on the 4th, at the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union, organizer of the festival.
Beatriz Bronze (Evaya), Francisco Fontes, Gonçalo Gomes, Inês Sousa, Jorge Gonçalves (Jacaréu), Marquise, Nunca Mates o Mandarim , Pedro Fernandes e Rita Dias. also signed the statement.
The statement posted on Cristina Branco’s Instagram reads:
“Eurovision has been, since 1964, a place for sharing Portuguese music each year. It has seen various formats, featured established names and emerging talents in national music, and maintains a following of critics and aficionados, but it has never lost its public service to song and to the people who listen to it, and therefore to the country itself. This is the premise that drives us. And, as such, we understand that participating in the 2026 Song Festival is not only the opportunity that so many Portuguese artists wish to have, but also the continuation of a cultural heritage that we intend to honor.
It has become the norm that the winner of the Festival da Canção represents RTP, and consequently Portugal, at the Eurovision Song Contest. We were, with Salvador Sobral and Luísa Sobral, winners of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017. And it was the country that won, far beyond RTP that took them there. Thus, the sense of belonging to a people is inseparable when participating in an international event such as the Eurovision Song Contest.
Despite Russia being banned from participating in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest for political reasons (the invasion of Ukraine), we were astonished to see that the same fate did not befall Israel, which, according to the UN, is committing acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. We were equally perplexed by the results of the vote in the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU/UER): 738 votes out of 1122 in favor of the new voting rules, meaning a majority satisfied with the changes and no democratic uprising regarding Israel’s participation in Eurovision. RTP was also part of this majority, a fact that we, as citizens, in addition to our role as artists, regret.
Therefore, we publicly declare, jointly, in a concerted position between current authors and future performers, our refusal to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest should we be the representatives of the winning song at the Festival da Canção in March of next year. We understand that the country and the world are experiencing moments in which silence makes us complicit in a tragedy. With words and songs, we act within the possibilities given to us. We do not condone the violation of Human Rights. And we resist with culture, with Portuguese culture.
Long live music! It’s why we’re here.”
The 60th edition of the Festival da Canção will take place in February and March 2026, divided, as usual, into two semi-finals (on February 21 and 28) and a final (on March 7).
The Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain withdrew due to alleged interference in the televote and the genocide in Gaza, which a UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory stated:
“The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza,”
