Nemo Returns Eurovision Trophy Over Israel Participation

Swiss singer Nemo, the winner of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, announced Thursday that they are returning their trophy to the event's organizers in protest over Israel's participation in the upcoming competition. The 26-year-old performer, who made history as the first openly nonbinary musician to claim the title with their song "The Code" in Malmö, Sweden, shared the decision in an Instagram post directed at the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, which oversees the annual event.

In the statement, Nemo expressed gratitude for the experience but stated, "Today I no longer feel this trophy belongs on my shelf." They highlighted a perceived contradiction between the contest's stated values and its actions, writing, "Eurovision says it stands for unity, inclusion, and dignity for all. Those values made this contest meaningful to me. But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions made by the EBU."

Nemo further criticized the event for being "repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while...