VRT, the Flemish national broadcaster, is reporting that the VRT and RTFBF trade unions are calling for Belgium to boycott Eurovision 2026 just two days before the Belgian Eurovision 2026 act and entry’s reveal.
RTBF is set to unveil its Eurovision 2026 act and entry on Thursday 19 February. The RTBF and VRT trade unions are asking RTBF not to send a candidate to Vienna for ESC 2026 and for VRT not to broadcast the competition in May.
A total of five countries: Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have all withdrawn from the competition due to Israel’s participation at ESC 2026 and the ongoing situation in Gaza.
The trade unions ACOD-VRT and CGSP-RTBF have placed wooden figures in the entrance hall of the shared broadcasting building on Reyerslaan. They displayed the message “Boycott Eurovision.”
Ilse Orbaen (VRT/ ACOD) says:
This is the third year in a row that we’re campaigning for Eurovision. The first year, we interrupted the broadcast with a sign , last year we found a partner in Oxfam, and this year we’re here together with our colleagues at RTBF, supported by a large civil society movement.
Eric Tamundele ( CGSP RTBF) says:
This action is part of a larger, international project. Countries like Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland have already voted in favor of the boycott, and in other countries, such as Malta and Greece, unions are also taking action to block the broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest.
A total of 35 countries are set to compete at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna which is scheduled to be held on 12, 14 and 16 May.
