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LAST UPDATE
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\n 1 hr ago\n <\/p>\n
A LEADING DUTCH public broadcaster will\u00a0not participate in next year\u2019s Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n
AVROTROS said in a statement today that the event can \u201cno longer be considered neutral\u201d given divisions over the Gaza war.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all pulled out of this year\u2019s Eurovision, with the latter three refusing to broadcast the show at all.<\/p>\n
Despite the Dutch boycott, the Song Contest was aired in the Netherlands by both NOS and NTR, two separate public broadcasters.<\/p>\n
AVROTROS had aired the Eurovision from 2014 to 2025.<\/p>\n
The decision by AVROTROS does not necessarily mean that the Netherlands will not be participating in next year\u2019s Eurovision.<\/p>\n
The NPO (Netherlands Public Broadcasting) is the coordinating body of the Dutch public broadcasting system and has 13 members.<\/p>\n
The director of the Eurovision said he will \u201ccontinue dialogue with NPO regarding the opportunities for another broadcaster to participate\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\u2018Major divisions\u2019<\/p>\n
The Eurovision Song Contest is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area.<\/p>\n
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS today said it will not participate in next year\u2019s Song Contest as \u201cone of the participating countries is still involved in a large-scale military conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n
It added that \u201cgeopolitical tensions in the Middle East are having too much of an impact on the Song Contest and have led to major divisions\u201d.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, organisers announced they were excluding any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.<\/p>\n
However, AVROTROS said this \u201coffers insufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Song Contest can be restored\u201d.<\/p>\n
It noted that five countries, including Ireland, decided not to participate in this year\u2019s Song Contest and that former winners, including Charlie McGettigan<\/a>, have handed back their trophies.<\/p>\n