Martin Green Tries to Steady the Ship: Eurovision Director’s Open Letter Aims to Calm a Contest in Crisis
Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, has stepped forward with a rare personal letter aimed at soothing a fanbase split down the middle. With Israel confirmed for Eurovision 2026 and several broadcasters walking out, Green attempts to offer reassurance, context and a gentle nudge toward unity.
He opens with a disarming admission: emotions are running high, including his own. He acknowledges the anger and heartbreak many fans feel over the Middle East and the sense that the EBU has remained silent in the face of tragedy. “We hear you,” he writes — a phrase clearly chosen to show empathy without shifting policy.
A Carefully Polished History Lesson
Green reminds readers that Eurovision was founded 70 years ago as a beacon of unity for a divided Europe. A romantic origin story, frequently invoked at moments of crisis, and here deployed to frame the Contest as a cultural safe space that must remain above geopolitical battles.
He stresses that Eurovision has weathered wars, upheavals and shifting borders, maintaining its mission to bring people together. The underlying message: Eurovision survives because it refuses to become an arena for political judgement.
The Defence: Rules First, Politics Never
Green reiterates the EBU’s long-standing position: the Contest can only function if it sticks to its own rules. In other words, participation decisions cannot be reactive, emotional or political — even when the public mood is demanding exactly that.
He then offers a personal pledge: any broadcaster breaking the rules next year “will be called out”. No specifics, no threats, but a symbolic assurance that the EBU has not lost control of its own framework.
A Diplomatic Bow to Departing Broadcasters
In a notably soft paragraph, Green addresses fans in Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands — countries whose broadcasters have withdrawn in protest. He praises their “dignity” and expresses hope for their eventual return. A velvet-gloved acknowledgement of one of the biggest fractures in Eurovision’s history.
A Love Letter to the Fandom
The letter closes with gratitude: artists, delegations and fans are “the heart of this Contest”. Green promises that Eurovision will continue to be a place where friendships form, languages mix and new music thrives — for “another 70 years and beyond.”
He signs off with the familiar slogan: “United by Music.”
But Is Anyone Convinced?
Green’s message is heartfelt, diplomatic and exquisitely cautious, but it avoids the central accusation many fans have raised: that the EBU is using Eurovision’s founding mythology as a shield rather than a guide. The letter calms, but it doesn’t resolve.
Eurovision 2026 will put these promises to the test. Whether unity survives Vienna remains to be seen.
Source: Eurovision.com
