Iceland first country having a petition to boycott next year’s Eurovision

More than 18,000 people have signed a petition calling for Iceland to boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Israel, citing human rights violations against Palestinian people, Euronews reports.

The petition, started by developer Árni Steingrímur Sigurðsson, calls on national broadcaster RUV to withdraw Iceland from the contest.

With more than 18,000 signatures by Wednesday afternoon, the petition argues that “in view of the human rights abuses of Israel against the Palestinian people, it is morally indefensible to engage in a glamorous event like the Eurovision.”

Netta Barzilai won the contest at the weekend with the song “Toy”, giving Israel the right to host the event in 2019.