Nemo, last year's Eurovision winner, said Thursday he was returning the 2024 trophy in protest over Israel's continued participation, which has already prompted five countries to pull out.
"I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf," the Swiss vocalist said on Instagram.
The Eurovision Song Contest, the world's biggest live televised music event, is put on by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
On December 4, members of the world's largest public service media alliance decided no vote was needed on Israel's inclusion in the glitzy annual extravaganza.
Widespread opposition to the two-year war in Gaza had led to mounting calls for Israel to be excluded.
The public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland have announced they are boycotting the 70th edition of the song contest, to be held in Vienna in May.
"Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion, and dignity for all people, and these are the values that make this contest so meaningful for me," Nemo said.
"But Israel's continued participation, during what the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows there's a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions the EBU is making.
Iceland's state broadcaster RUV on Wednesday announced it would boycott next year's Eurovision, citing the public debate in the island nation.
"When entire countries withdraw, it should be very clear that something is deeply wrong," said Nemo, 26.
"That's why I decided that I'm sending this trophy back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva with gratitude and with a clear message: live what you claim. If the values we celebrate onstage aren't lived offstage, then even the most beautiful songs become meaningless. I'm waiting for the moment those words and actions align.
"Until then, this trophy is yours."
Some 37 countries took part in the 2025 edition in Basel, Switzerland, won by Austrian operatic singer JJ with "Wasted Love".
Around 35 countries are ultimately expected to participate in Vienna.
rjm/gv
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Artemis II astronauts arrive at Florida launch site for first moon trip in 53 years - 2Audits of 6 American Busssiness Class Flights
- 3Arctic sea ice just dropped to an alarming new low
- 42024 Manual for Light Extravagance Room Feel: What's Moving
- 5Where is Santa right now? NORAD tracks his 2025 Christmas Eve flight.
- Japan prepares to restart world's biggest nuclear plant, 15 years after Fukushima
- Verdicts against social media companies carry consequences. But questions linger
- Geminid meteor shower 2025 peaks next week. Here's what you need to know about this year's best meteor shower
- Which Carrier Do You Suggest? Vote
- 'Women on the floor, riddled with bullets': Ex-hostage Rom Braslavski recounts 'horrors' of Oct. 7
- Figure out How to Analyze Medical attendant Compensation Patterns Across Different Specializations
- Shredded cheese recall: Multiple brands sold at Aldi, Target and Walmart affected over potential metal fragment contamination
- Stolen Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse were probably uninsured, market sources say
- Stunning new James Webb Space Telescope images reveal 'hidden' stars being born
