Austria’s ORF, the host broadcaster of the next Eurovision Song Contest, has said it will not interfere with audience reactions during Israel’s performance, including booing, and will allow Palestinian flags in the crowd, provided they comply with local laws and security rules.
The 70th edition of Eurovision will take place in Vienna in May and will feature 35 participating countries, the smallest line-up since 2003. Five national broadcasters, including those from Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, have announced a boycott of the contest in protest against Israel’s inclusion, citing the high civilian death toll in Gaza following Israel’s military offensive.
At a press conference organised by ORF, executive producer Michael Kroen said the broadcaster would not attempt to sanitise the atmosphere inside the arena. He stressed that Eurovision’s responsibility was to reflect events honestly rather than conceal audience reactions. ORF confirmed it would not repeat previous practices of masking negative crowd responses with artificial applause.
ORF director of programming Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said there would be no effort to drown out booing during any performance. She added that official flags from around the world would be permitted, as long as they meet legal and safety requirements related to size and security. Eurovision, traditionally known for celebrating musical diversity and spectacle, has become a focal point of political tension this year.
Broadcasters withdrawing from the contest argue that participating alongside Israel would be inappropriate given the ongoing war in Gaza, which followed the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
That attack killed around 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken, according to Israeli authorities. Gaza health officials say more than 70,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have since been killed in Israel’s military response.
Israel’s 2025 Eurovision entrant, Yuval Raphael, survived the attack on the Nova music festival, one of the sites targeted by Hamas. The head of Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has described attempts to exclude Israel from future contests as a form of cultural boycott.
Despite objections from countries including Iceland and Slovenia, which are also among the boycotting nations, Austria and ORF have been firm supporters of Israel’s participation. ORF director general Roland Weissmann visited Israel in November to demonstrate that support, with backing from the Austrian government.
The controversy comes amid Eurovision’s continued global popularity. This year’s contest attracted an estimated 166 million viewers worldwide, according to the European Broadcasting Union, surpassing the audience figures for major events such as the US Super Bowl.
As preparations continue for Vienna, organisers acknowledge the charged political backdrop but insist the contest will proceed without altering or masking the reality inside the arena.
