The stance taken by various worker representative groups was read on Friday at an RTP workers’ meeting, called in light of the general strike on the 11th.
The declaration condemns “the European Broadcasting Union’s [EBU] decision to allow Israel to remain in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, despite ongoing military actions in Gaza and serious human rights violations widely denounced by the international community.”
RTP employees believe that “allowing KAN [the Israeli public broadcaster] to remain in the competition legitimizes and normalizes a state accused of war crimes” and express it is “incomprehensible that RTP has confirmed Portugal’s participation and supported the approval of new rules that effectively keep Israel — and KAN — in the competition.”
The motion urges the administration to review its position, emphasizing that the public radio and television company must assert itself “unambiguously as a public service committed to ethics, coherence, and human rights.”
“RTP workers urge the Board of Directors to urgently reassess its stance and publicly oppose Israel’s participation in 2026,” the statement reads, which will be sent to RTP’s administration, led by Nicolau Santos.
This position was made public at the RTP workers’ meeting on Friday and is signed by lists A and B, which ran for the Workers’ Committee, the Porto Workers’ Subcommittee, and various unions (Journalists’ Union, Telecommunications Workers’ Union, National Telecommunications and Audiovisual Workers’ Union, Audiovisual Media Union, Independent Union of Information and Communication Workers).
The EBU’s general assembly on Thursday decided that Israel could participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest. Subsequently, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia announced a boycott of the festival.
Musician Salvador Sobral, who won Eurovision in 2017, criticized RTP’s decision to join the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, stating that he learned this during the ‘Juntos por Gaza’ concert in Lisbon, in which he participated and which will be broadcast on RTP.
“RTP, the state channel, decided to participate in Eurovision even with Israel’s participation. That phrase ‘to hit the nail on the head’ never made more sense than last night. The national television broadcasts a concert for Gaza and at the same time is afraid to do the right thing,” the musician said in a video shared Friday on Instagram.
For Salvador Sobral, it is an example of “political cowardice, (…) consistent with the institutional cowardice of public institutions.”
“It saddens me because it is simply a human issue and the decision that must be made is obvious,” he added.
According to Salvador Sobral, RTP should maintain the Festival da Canção, but the winner would not go to Eurovision and would be awarded differently.
The Eurovision Song Contest is organized by the EBU, founded in 1950, in cooperation with public broadcasters from over 35 countries, including Portugal’s Radio and Television (RTP).
The 70th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in May 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
