Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says that Spain’s absence from the festival is a “coherent” decision and linked to the defense of human rights
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez (Psoe, left), once again defended this Friday (May 15, 2026) the country’s decision not to participate in the in protest against Israel’s presence in the contest. In published on the social network X, the Spanish leader stated that the government acts with “conviction of being on the right side of history”.
“This year will be different. We won’t be in Vienna, but we will do so with the conviction of being on the right side of history”, declared Sánchez.
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According to the prime minister, Spain’s absence from the festival is a result of the country’s commitment to human rights and international legality. He said the decision was “” e “necessary”.
“Spain does not participate in the Eurovision Festival because our commitment to human rights and international legality is also expressed through culture”he stated.
In addition to Spain, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia were also left out of this year’s edition of the contest in protest against Israeli participation. More than a thousand artists called for a boycott of the event.
Sánchez, one of the European leaders most critical of the Israeli prime minister’s government (Likud, right) because of the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, stated that the festival was born to promote peace and that “silence is not an option” in the face of the war and the humanitarian situation in the region.
“We cannot remain indifferent to what continues to happen in Gaza and Lebanon. It is a question of coherence, responsibility and humanity”these.
The Eurovision final takes place on Saturday (16 March 2026), in Vienna. The Spanish public broadcaster had already informed that it will not broadcast the festival. Public channels in Slovenia and Ireland also announced that they will not show the event.
