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UK’s Eurovision Contestant Refuses to Boycott Song Contest Over Israel’s Involvement, Supports ‘Unifying Power of Music’
Olly Alexander in the music video for “Sweet Talker.” Photo: YouTube screenshot
Pop singer Olly Alexander, the United Kingdom’s representative in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, responded on Friday to an open letter signed by more than 450 members of the LGBTQ+ community asking him to boycott the international music competition because of Israel’s participation in the event.
Alexander — who joined others late last year in falsely accusing Israel of genocide and apartheid — said in a statement shared on social media that he wants to use his participation in the Eurovision contest to advocate for peace in the Middle East.
“I know some people will choose to boycott this year’s Eurovision and I understand and respect their decision,” he began by saying. “It is my current belief that removing myself from the contest wouldn’t bring us any closer to our shared goal. Instead, I’ve been speaking with some of the other EV contestants and we’ve decided that by taking part we can use our platform to come together and call for peace.”
“I hope and pray that our calls are answered and there is an end to the atrocities we are seeing taking place in Gaza,” he added. The singer also reiterated his support for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and called for the return of all hostages taken by Hamas from Israel during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in the Jewish state, as well as “the safety and security of all civilians in Palestine and Israel.”
Queers for Palestine published an open letter on Thursday urging Alexander to pull out of Eurovision in solidarity with the Palestinians. “There can be no party with a state committing apartheid and genocide,” the group said. “At a time when accountability is so urgently needed, Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision would enable and cover up its war crimes and crimes against humanity.” The letter’s signatories included actors, writers, musicians, novelists, and playwrights.
Alexander also shared on Friday a joint statement from him and other Eurovision contestants this year who are choosing to remain in the competition, despite being against Israel’s actions during its ongoing defensive war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
“We firmly believe in the unifying power of music, enabling people to transcend differences and foster meaningful conversations and connections,” they said. “We feel that it is our duty to create and uphold this space, with a strong hope that it will inspire greater compassion and empathy.” The joint statement was signed by Eurovision contestants Bambie Thug from Ireland, Gåte from Norway, iolanda from Portugal, Megara from San Marino, Nemo from Switzerland, SABA from Denmark, Silvester Belt from Lithuania, and Windows95Man from Finland.
Musicians in Iceland pushed to have Israel banned from the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest before the competition began because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, rejected their demands. Eurovision Party London, the English capital city’s biggest Eurovision screening party, also announced last week that it was cancelling its screening event for this year’s Eurovision because of Israel’s involvement in the competition.
The finals for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest will take place on May 11 in Malmö, Sweden. Israel’s contestant in the competition, Eden Golan, is competing with a song renamed Hurricane. The track’s original lyrics and song title, October Rain, was initially disqualified by the EBU for being too political since the original song referenced the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
An official in Israel has encouraged Israelis planning to attend this year’s Eurovision contest in Sweden to hide their Zionism or Israeli identity and not draw attention to themselves to avoid having security issues in Malto. The official described Malto as “an unfriendly area for Israelis.”
In last year’s Eurovision competition, contestant Noa Kirel from Israel came in third place.
The post UK’s Eurovision Contestant Refuses to Boycott Song Contest Over Israel’s Involvement, Supports ‘Unifying Power of Music’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.