Booing during Israel’s performance will not be drowned out

Austria’s public broadcaster ORF, which will host the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, has said that any booing heard in the arena during Israel’s performance will not be artificially muted, and that banning Palestinian flags is not planned.

At a press conference held in Vienna on December 16, organisers stated that the 70th edition of the contest will take place in May as part of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest and will feature just 35 participating countries. This will be the lowest number of participants since 2003, following boycott decisions by five countries protesting Israel’s participation in the competition.

ORF’s executive producer Michael Kroen said that all official flags would be permitted as long as they comply with legal and security requirements: “We will not cover anything up or hide what is happening. Our task is to show things as they are.”

ORF’s director of programming, Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz, also stressed that audience reactions during Israel’s performance would not be masked by artificial applause: “At no point will we play artificial applause over it.”

Usually seen as a celebration of national diversity, pop music, and high camp aesthetics, Eurovision has this year become the centre of serious political and ethical controversy. Countries boycotting the contest say it is unacceptable to take part while thousands of civilians have been killed in Gaza.

It is also noted that, according to the European Broadcasting Union, Eurovision 2025 attracted around 166 million viewers—significantly more than the audience for the Super Bowl in the United States.

Powered by Froala Editor