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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly called for Israel’s exclusion from the Eurovision Song Contest and other international cultural events over the “indiscriminate killing of civilians” in Gaza.

His remarks come in the wake of Israel’s controversial second-place finish in the 2025 Eurovision final, held in Malmö, Sweden.

Speaking during a media appearance, Sánchez urged the international community to take a stronger stance on Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, saying that cultural platforms like Eurovision should not serve as public relations shields for states accused of grave human rights violations.

Sánchez emphasised that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, should uphold the same ethical standards it applied in 2022 when Russia was barred from the competition following its invasion of Ukraine, reported the BBC.

“What we are seeing in Gaza is not acceptable. The indiscriminate killing of civilians, of children, women — it is simply not acceptable,” Sánchez said. “Just as we did with Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, we must not have double standards when it comes to upholding values of peace and human rights in cultural spaces.”

He added, “There must be consistency. Culture is not neutral — it has values. And if we excluded Russia for its aggression in Ukraine, we must evaluate Israel’s participation under the same lens.”

His remarks have received backing from Spanish left-wing parties including Podemos and Izquierda Unida, who have also demanded Israel’s removal from Eurovision and condemned the country’s participation as a tool of “cultural propaganda.”

Voting controversy, rigging allegations

Alongside growing calls for Israel’s disqualification, this year’s Eurovision is also facing serious scrutiny over the integrity of its voting system. Eurovision has been accused of allowing vote-rigging, leading to Israel unexpectedly coming second in this year’s competition.

Allegations have emerged that the public tele-vote, which saw Israel’s Eden Golan receive a maximum of 12 points from both Spain and Belgium, may have been manipulated.

According to The Telegraph, concerns are mounting about a possible coordinated effort to influence the tele-voting outcome. Digital researchers and Eurovision followers noticed an unusual voting pattern: Israel, whose performance drew a mix of boos and cheers during the live event, received disproportionately high tele-votes despite the juries giving the country zero points.

Spanish state broadcaster RTVE reported that Israel topped its national tele-vote, receiving more than 20 per cent of the votes cast, prompting the broadcaster to formally request an independent audit.

The Telegraph noted that according to reports, individuals may have used prepaid SIM cards and multiple credit cards to cast hundreds of tele-votes for Israel without being flagged by the system. Spanish radio network Los40 and other regional outlets raised the alarm about the lack of ID verification, which may have allowed for vote manipulation through “vote farms” or coordinated campaigns run from abroad.

Belgium’s VRT and several Scandinavian broadcasters have reportedly expressed concerns about the public voting anomalies and are awaiting the EBU’s internal review.

The European Broadcasting Union has not yet commented on Sánchez’s statement or the audit requests related to the tele-vote.

Eurovision, historically promoted as an apolitical celebration of music and diversity, has increasingly struggled to maintain that stance amid global geopolitical tensions. Just days ago, it was called out for ‘censoring boos’ during Israel’s semi-final performance.