Belgium stays in Eurovision 2026… while its unions hang a “Boycott Eurovision” sign in the lobby
Belgium is going to Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. And it’s doing it in the most Belgian way imaginable: with one broadcaster insisting it will “participate without looking away” from what’s happening in Gaza, another confirming the show will still be aired for Flemish viewers, and the unions responding by installing wooden figures in the shared HQ carrying a blunt message: “Boycott Eurovision.” Subtlety, as ever, has left the building.
The background matters here, because RTBF and VRT had already raised concerns about Eurovision’s future and Israel’s participation, not only due to the war in Gaza but also amid allegations that last year the Israeli government actively promoted votes for Israel’s entry, a controversy the EBU has said it wants to address through reforms aimed at protecting the integrity of the contest.
RTBF’s line: “participate without looking away”
This year, the participation decision sits with RTBF (Belgium rotates between RTBF and VRT), and RTBF has confirmed Belgium will take part while framing that choice in explicitly moral language, saying participation in 2026 cannot be done “without looking at the world as it is” and without remembering the duty to inform, with Gaza referenced directly in the public messaging around the decision. Belgium’s act is expected to be revealed imminently, so the “we’re in” decision isn’t abstract, it’s operational.
VRT’s position: broadcast stays, discomfort remains
On the Flemish side, VRT has indicated Eurovision will still be broadcast for its audience, even as the wider debate continues. So Belgium is not stepping away from the show, but it’s also not pretending the context is normal, which is basically the only honest stance left when Eurovision and geopolitics collide in public.
The unions’ protest: wooden figures, big message, zero ambiguity
Enter the unions: ACOD-VRT and CGSP-RTBF. Their protest at the shared building on Brussels’ Reyerslaan uses wooden figures holding the words “Boycott Eurovision”, and their demand is straightforward, if politically explosive: they want RTBF to withdraw from participation and VRT not to broadcast the contest. One union representative described it as the third year running they’ve taken action around Belgium’s Eurovision involvement, while also placing this year’s protest in a wider international context.
The “international boycott” claim: what’s being said, and what’s actually confirmed
Some union messaging and commentary has pointed to other countries boycotting, and it’s true that multiple broadcasters have announced withdrawals tied to Israel’s inclusion, with major coverage around Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia, and the EBU’s response has involved reforms rather than exclusion. But the exact list of who is “in” or “out” has been fluid across the cycle, depending on deadlines and broadcaster decisions, so the safest summary is this: Eurovision 2026 is happening under heavier political pressure than usual, and Belgium has chosen participation, while its unions are publicly campaigning against it.
Where this leaves Belgium, right now
Practically, Belgium is moving ahead with participation and broadcast plans. Politically, the argument is not going away, and the union protest makes sure nobody can walk into that building pretending this is “just entertainment”. Whether you see that as necessary accountability or as a campaign to drag a music show into a conflict it can’t meaningfully resolve, the end result is the same: Belgium’s Eurovision 2026 story is already bigger than the three minutes it will get on stage in Vienna.
Source: VRT
