Serbia Eurovision 2027: Queer Groups Call for RTS Boycott

Serbia’s Eurovision 2027 participation is already facing pressure. Eight queer and civil-society organisations have called on Serbian public broadcaster RTS to withdraw from the contest if Israel takes part.

The appeal was sent to RTS director general Manja Grčić (in pic on the side) and the broadcaster’s management board and became public on 25 September.

Among the signatories are the Belgrade Queer Choir, Grupa IZAĐI, the Centre for Queer Studies, Grupa Kul.t, L Communio, Talas TIRV, the Centre for Women’s Studies and BRINA*.

Their request is clear: they want RTS to stay out of Eurovision 2027 if Israel participates.

That final part matters. Serbia has not announced a Eurovision boycott. RTS has not publicly confirmed any withdrawal. And the complete list of countries participating in Eurovision 2027 has not yet been finalised.

So, babes, before the Eurovision rumour mill starts spinning faster than a wind machine in the final chorus: this is a campaign asking Serbia to boycott, not an official Serbian withdrawal.

Why are queer groups challenging Serbia’s Eurovision 2027 participation?

One could say it is because if you are not #QueerForPalestine and do not hate Israel, then you are not cool, but in reality the organisations behind the letter say Serbia should not participate in the contest alongside Israel because of the war in Gaza. Their statement uses strongly political language, including references to occupation, apartheid and genocide Those descriptions represent the position of the organisations signing the letter.

Israel rejects allegations that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

The dispute highlights how the political tensions surrounding Eurovision 2026 are already carrying directly into Eurovision 2027. And we haven’t even heard the songs yet.

Serbia faced Eurovision boycott calls before

This is not the first time RTS has faced pressure over Israel’s participation.

In April 2026, protesters gathered outside the broadcaster’s headquarters in Belgrade calling for Serbia to withdraw from Eurovision 2026.

Demonstrators also urged audiences to boycott the contest.

RTS ultimately remained in Eurovision.

The latest letter therefore continues a debate that had already begun during the previous contest season, but there is one important difference: activists are now trying to influence Serbia’s Eurovision 2027 decision before the season fully gets underway.

Has RTS responded to the Serbia Eurovision 2027 boycott call?

At the time the latest reports were published, RTS had not publicly responded to the letter.

That means there is currently no confirmation that Serbia intends to withdraw, reconsider its participation or change its Eurovision 2027 plans.

The accurate headline is therefore not: “Serbia boycotts Eurovision 2027.”

It hasn’t.

Instead, eight organisations are asking the country’s public broadcaster to withdraw if Israel competes. That distinction is particularly important when Eurovision news can travel halfway around the internet before anyone has finished reading the original statement.

Eurovision 2027 is already inheriting last year’s controversy

The Serbian debate is part of a much bigger Eurovision story. Several broadcasters withdrew from Eurovision 2026 amid controversy over Israel’s participation, including Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands.

Since then, the Netherlands has confirmed that it will return to Eurovision 2027, although AVROTROS will not manage the Dutch entry. NPO has instead created a new structure to coordinate the country’s participation.

Other broadcasters have continued to debate what their involvement in the next contest should look like. And now Serbian LGBTQ+ organisations are adding pressure on RTS. In other words, the arguments Eurovision hoped might disappear once the confetti had been swept away from the 2026 final are still very much here.

Could Serbia actually boycott Eurovision 2027?

For now, we simply do not know.

RTS would need to make its own decision on participation, and the Serbian broadcaster has not announced a withdrawal.

The position of Israel in Eurovision 2027 also remains part of the wider contest debate as broadcasters prepare for the new season. What we do know is that Serbia Eurovision 2027 has now become another focal point in the increasingly political discussion surrounding the contest.

For Eurovision fans, that means the off-stage story could once again become almost as significant as what happens on stage. Which, at this rate, means Eurovision 2027 may need two scoreboards: one for the songs and another for the broadcaster drama.