Nemo, the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest winner, said they will return their trophy to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in protest at Israel being allowed to compete amid the war in Gaza.

In a statement posted on social media, the Swiss singer said they felt the trophy “no longer belongs on my shelf”.

“Eurovision says it stands for unity, inclusion, and dignity for all,” they wrote. “Those values made this contest meaningful to me. But Israel's continued 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”.

Nemo said they would send the trophy back to EBU headquarters in Geneva.

Nemo said the contest was “repeatedly used to soften the image of a state accused of severe wrongdoing, all while the EBU insisted Eurovision is ‘non-political’.”

The organisation has not yet commented on Nemo’s decision to return the trophy.

Nemo became the first non-binary performer to win Eurovision with the song The Code. They also raised objections against Israel’s participation in Eurovision in May this year. Israel’s entrant, Yuval Raphael, ultimately competed and finished second.

The EBU’s decision to allow Israel to take part in next year’s contest in Vienna has met with calls for boycott from several European countries. After meeting in Geneva last week, the organisation opted not to call a vote on Israel’s involvement, saying it had introduced new rules intended to reduce government influence over the contest.

In response, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland withdrew from the contest.

A day before Nemo’s announcement, the EBU issued a statement addressing the criticism surrounding its decision to retain Israel in the contest. “In the wake of the recent General Assembly discussion on the Eurovision Song Contest, several EBU Members have been criticised for the position they took in the debate,” EBU said.

“While public service media is always open to criticism and critique, the EBU feels that some of the attacks on our Members — on both sides of the argument — have been completely inaccurate and ill-informed. The debate on the Eurovision Song Contest was respectful and articulate. Members expressing their opinions were reflecting their own and their audience's views on this difficult issue, not those of any political perspective or political party”.