"In a statement posted on Instagram, they wrote: "Last year I won Eurovision and with it I was awarded the trophy. And even though I'm immensely grateful for the community around this contest and everything this experience has taught me both as a person and artist, today I no longer feel this trophy belongs on my shelf.""
"The singer's decision comes after Iceland earlier this week became the fifth country to boycott the 2026 contest over Israel's participation because of its conduct of its war in Gaza, where the death toll has passed 70,000. Iceland joined Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying that they will not be a part of next year's competition, amid calls for Israel to be excluded over its military action in Gaza. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been among the leaders who have called it genocide."
Nemo, a 26-year-old Swiss singer, will return the 2024 Eurovision trophy after Israel was permitted to compete in the 2026 contest. Nemo won the competition with the song The Code and became the first openly non-binary musician to win Eurovision. In an Instagram statement, Nemo said they no longer feel the trophy belongs on their shelf despite gratitude for the contest community and personal growth. The decision follows a wave of boycotts: Iceland became the fifth country to withdraw from 2026, joining Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands over Israel's conduct in its Gaza war, where the reported death toll has passed 70,000. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called the situation genocide.
Read at Irish Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]