Nemo, the Swiss artist who took home the Eurovision title in 2024, said on Thursday that they plan to return their trophy as a form of protest against Israel’s participation in next year’s competition.

“Eurovision says it stands for unity, inclusion, and dignity for all,” Nemo wrote in an Instagram post. “Those values made this contest meaningful to me. But Israel’s participation, during what the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded to be a genocide, shows a clear conflict between those ideals and the decisions made by the EBU [European Broadcasting Union]. … I’m sending my trophy back to the EBU headquarters in Geneva.”

The announcement follows a decision by the EBU last week not to hold a vote on whether Israel should be barred from the contest. Several member broadcasters had raised concerns over Israel’s actions in its war with Hamas, but the EBU confirmed the country would still be allowed to compete. Instead, organizers said they would introduce “additional safeguards” aimed at preventing governments or outside groups from influencing the outcome. Some broadcasters had accused Israel of using such tactics to bolster its 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, during this year’s contest.

In response to the EBU’s ruling, broadcasters in Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Slovenia said they would not take part in the 2026 competition. Iceland later joined the boycott. Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ called participation “unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk.”

“If the values we celebrate onstage aren’t lived offstage, then even the most beautiful songs lose their meaning,” Nemo wrote. “I’m waiting for the moment when those words and actions align. Until then, this trophy is yours.”

A spokesperson for the EBU did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone.

Nemo won Eurovision 2024 with their performance of “The Code,” becoming the first openly nonbinary artist to claim victory at the contest.

Eurovision has been held across Europe since 1956, and last year’s event drew an estimated global audience of 166 million viewers. The 2026 contest is scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria, next May.