A protest rally was held in Latvia against the country's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest

On the evening of January 31, a protest rally was held in Riga against Latvia's participation in Eurovision because of Israel.

About 20 people took part in the rally, protesting against Israeli attacks on Palestine, which, according to them, the Latvian media are silent about. It is reported that the action took place peacefully and without arrests. The banner reads: "No Eurovision with Israel."

"I don't know if the Eurovision organizers will hear our performance here. But I really wanted to believe that they would hear us. Many states have spoken out against participating in Eurovision," said Ingus, one of the protesters.

Fake note: why several countries have abandoned Eurovision 2026

Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia announced a boycott of the international song contest.

Last year, on December 4, it became known that Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands announced a boycott of Eurovision 2026 after the European Broadcasting Union confirmed Israel's participation in the contest. After the meeting in Geneva, the European Broadcasting Union said that instead of voting on Israel's participation, new rules had been adopted to prevent government interference in the results of the competition.

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