BDS Netherlands condemns the NPO’s decision to take over the Netherlands’ participation in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, in defiance of AVROTROS’s well-considered withdrawal. This is not a return to “unifying,” as the NPO itself frames it. It is an administrative intervention that ignores three things at once: the ethical decision of its own broadcasting family, public opinion, and the public broadcaster’s own mission.
Against the wishes of the organizing broadcaster
AVROTROS withdrew after “a careful ethical assessment, based on our own standards and values” and announced that it would not be participating in any follow-up process. Virtually the entire broadcasting community subsequently indicated that it did not wish to take up the baton; BNNVARA even called AVROTROS’s decision “strong and courageous.” The NPO is now circumventing this nearly unanimous stance within its own system by setting up an “independent team” outside the scope of all broadcasters, thereby undoing a decision based on principle.
Against public opinion
A large majority of the Dutch do not want the Netherlands to participate as long as Israel is involved. A recent poll by the EenVandaag opinion panel shows that 60% believe the Netherlands should not send an entry, compared to 34% who are in favour. This is consistent with earlier research (fall 2025), which already showed that a majority of the Dutch public supported AVROTROS’s withdrawal. The NPO is ignoring this persistent public opposition.
Contrary to the NPO’s own objectives
In its annual report, the NPO states that it aims to be “a unifying force in our pluralistic society,” with independence as a core value. It says it “understands that participation in the Eurovision Song Contest evokes mixed feelings in the Netherlands.” Forced participation in an event over which the country is demonstrably divided – and from which the broadcaster itself withdrew precisely for ethical reasons – is, by definition, polarising—the opposite of unifying. With this decision, the NPO undermines its own core value of independence by reversing a carefully considered ethical decision made by AVROTROS.
A Call to the NPO
BDS Netherlands calls on the NPO to immediately reconsider this decision.
If that does not happen, BDS Netherlands will launch a public campaign, call out sponsors and advertisers regarding their role in financing the broadcast, and mobilize BDS Netherlands’ supporters for nationwide protests.
Call for the Artist to Be Selected
BDS Netherlands calls on every artist approached by the NPO to refuse to participate as long as Israel is represented on stage.
In the event that an artist is selected, BDS Netherlands will launch a public campaign to draw attention to this participation, including a call to boycott the accompanying single, as well as visible actions surrounding performances and the national announcement.