Dear Yle,
Editor’s Note: The following text is a copy of the letter I sent to the Finnish public broadcaster, Yle, about their decision to participate in Eurovision alongside Israel, while Israel continues to commit genocide against the Palestinian people. Yle’s Head of Creative Content and Media, Ville Vilén, has stated that the decision about Israel’s participation lies with the EBU, but also that Finland may consider withdrawing from Eurovision if the situation in Gaza worsens. In light of the ICJ’s ruling that Israel’s actions in Gaza pose a ‘plausible risk’ of genocide, I have written to Yle to make clear that if the situation was not already unbearable it certainly has worsened now, and to urge them to reconsider their current position. I share the letter here as a template for other Eurovision fans who wish to write their own letters to the EBU and national broadcasters.
Dear Yle,
I am writing again as a viewer of Yle’s broadcast of UMK and the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as a scholar of the international politics of the Contest, to urge you to reconsider your current position of leaving decisions about Israel’s participation in Eurovision to the EBU.
I draw your attention to growing support for a boycott among Eurovision audiences in Finland and across Europe. This includes the petition from Finnish artists delivered to Yle on 16 January; calls from UMK’s own participants, Jesse Markin and Sini Sabotage; and planned demonstrations in Tampere on 10 February. I also draw your attention to the decision, made in light of the situation in Gaza, of the Icelandic broadcaster, RÚV, to not make a final decision about participating in Eurovision until after Sönvakeppnin. As a beloved national television event, UMK can occur and celebrate Finnish music whether Finland participates in Eurovision or not. Taking these calls from your audience seriously by refusing to attend Eurovision if Israel participates will not undermine the success of UMK, but remaining silent on the matter will cause lasting reputational damage to the UMK brand.
The situation in Gaza has worsened significantly since Yle first decided it would not boycott Eurovision. The average daily civilian casualties of Israel’s hostilities is higher than in any other conflict of the 21st century; on average 250 Palestinians are killed every day, thousands more are dying from hunger, lack of medical treatment, and lack of shelter. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the State of Israel’s actions in Gaza pose a plausible risk of genocide and ordered the restoration of basic conditions of living, but as long as Israel ignores these provisional measures and Western governments, including the Government of Finland, withdraw essential funding for humanitarian aid from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, such restoration is impossible.
By allowing Israel to participate in Eurovision, the EBU and its participating broadcasters, including Yle, send a message that the European community considers these violations acceptable. Participating allows Israel to carry on ‘as normal’, to present itself as a country which shares the values of peace, diversity and love which Eurovision claims to promote. As the Director of Creative Content and Media, Ville Vilén, said about Yle’s role in excluding Russia from Eurovision, “Yle always defends Western democracy, the rule of law, freedom of expression and human dignity. Yle cannot take part in an event where Russia, which has blatantly attacked these values, can use one of Europe’s best-known brands to advance its own interests.” If these values mean anything to Yle, it is vital that you adhere to them in this case too.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Zoë Jay
Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for European Studies, University of Helsinki
Lead Investigator, ‘The Eurovisionaries: How Fan Diplomats Are Making Europe’
zoe.jay@helsinki.fi