More than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers have called for a boycott of the 70th edition of the Eurovision song competition over its inclusion of Israel, amid growing pressure to ban the country over its genocide in Gaza, Middle East Eye reported on Tuesday.

Campaign groups No Music for Genocide and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (more commonly known as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) on Tuesday published an open letter to “reject Eurovision being used to whitewash and normalize Israel’s genocide, siege and brutal military occupation against Palestinians”.

“How can any performer or Eurovision fan in good conscience participate at the contest’s next edition in Austria amidst U.S.-Israeli plans for hyper-surveilled concentration camps in 'New Gaza'?” the letter reads, co-signed by artists including Macklemore, Paloma Faith, Kneecap, Massive Attack and former winners of the Eurovision contest. 

“There are moments in time when passive silence is not an option. We refuse to be silent when Israel’s genocidal violence soundtracks and silences Palestinian lives.”