Eurovision organisers are allowing Israel to 'artwash' its crimes against the Palestinians, a campaigner has said.
Musicians and activists are protesting outside RTÉ studios in Dublin calling for Ireland to boycott this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
The protest will include the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and Irish Artists for Palestine.
RTÉ has also received over 1,000 emails asking it to boycott the 2024 competition.
RTE studios on the Montrose campus in Donnybrook, Dublin. Image: Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ieIsrael has been accused of genocide against the Palestinian people with at least 34,568 Palestinians killed and 77,765 wounded in attacks on Gaza.
IPSC Chairperson Zoe Lawlor told Newstalk Breakfast Israel is using the Eurovision to normalise its crimes.
"Palestinian civil society and the BDS movement has called for a boycott of Eurovision while Israel is allowed to participate by the EBU," she said.
"We support this call to boycott the Eurovision and to not allow it to be used as a stage for Israel to artwash its crimes against the Palestinian people".
'Palestinian culture is under attack'
Ms Lawlor said boycotts have been successful in the past.
"The cultural boycott is very important as with the boycott as South African apartheid," she said.
"It's important that apartheid states and genocidal states are not given a platform to portray themselves as normal and fun-loving while Palestinians are being mass murdered.
"Every avenue of Palestinian culture is under attack by Israel; many artists in Gaza have been killed, cultural institutions destroyed".
'Not going to achieve anything'
Commentator Keith Mills told the show he believes the protests are pointless.
"The boycott campaign has failed so miserably, not one country has withdrawn, not one artist has withdrawn from Eurovision this year," he said.
"The contest will go ahead next week as planned.
"The RTÉ delegation has already been in Malmö for almost a week and they're rehearsing.
"If they want to waste their time protesting outside RTÉ off with them, but it's not going to achieve anything," he added.
Bambie Thug rehearsing in Malmo for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Image: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBUMr Mills said he believes there is no reason for Ireland to boycott the competition as we've competed against other countries that we "might be uncomfortable with" many times in the past.
"Eurovision is the musical form of the Olympics; are people going to campaign for Irish sportspeople to not to go to Paris because they'll be competing against Israel?
"The slogan of Eurovision is 'United in Music' and the contest brings people from all over Europe and beyond together every year".
Mr Mills added that he believes South African apartheid and Israel are not comparable as "there's nobody imposing sanctions on Israel."
Irish entrant Bambie Thug has previously said Israel should not take part in Eurovision.
The competition starts on May 7th with the Grand Final on May 11th.
