Olly Alexander Explains Why He's Not Withdrawing from Eurovision, Despite Calls for Boycott

Olly Alexander is responding to calls for him to boycott the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, but he says he will not be withdrawing from the competition.

The 33-year-old singer will be representing the UK in the upcoming world competition and Queers for Palestine is calling for a boycott as Israel will be competing.

A group of queer artists, including Joel Kim Booster and Indya Moore, signed a letter that said, “We ask you to heed the Palestinian call to withdraw from Eurovision… There can be no party with a state committing apartheid and genocide. At a time when accountability is so urgently needed, Israel’s inclusion in Eurovision would enable and cover up its war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Olly took to his Instagram account to issue a response, which he says he also sent to the group directly.

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“I wholeheartedly support action being taken to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages and the safety and security of all civilians in Palestine and Israel. I know some people will choose to boycott this year’s Eurovision and I understand and respect their decision,” Olly began his open letter.

He continued, “As a participant I’ve taken a lot of time to deliberate over what to do and the options available to me. It is my current belief that removing myself from the contest wouldn’t bring us any closer to our shared goal. Instead, I’ve been speaking with some of the other EV contestants and we’ve decided that by taking part we can use our platform to come together and call for peace.”

Olly said, “I hope and pray that our calls are answered and there is an end to the atrocities we are seeing taking place in Gaza. I’d like to thank the many signatories of this letter whose work I deeply admire and respect and hope that we can continue to work together in creating a better world for all of us.”

See all of the countries and artists competing in Eurovision this year.