Joana Banza, Margarida Castanheira and Sofia Jorge, who make up AGRIDOCE, pointed out the reality that “remains unchanged” regarding Israel, that “continues to act without consequences proportional to the severity of the humanitarian situation we are all witnessing”.
The group, whose song was selected through the Open Submission process, explained that they took time to reflect, stating that it “was necessary to think clearly and assess all possible ways of expressing our dissatisfaction with the situation. We are three different people and, as such, have different rhythms.”
Their statement follows the announcement of a joint declaration signed by a majority of the composers and performers selected to participate in next year’s Festival da Canção, in which they stated they would not travel to Vienna if they were to win the Portuguese contest.
You can read AGRIDOCE’s full statement below:
“Over the past few weeks, we held onto hope that circumstances might change and that somehow signs of accountability and justice would emerge.
However, and unfortunately, the reality remains unchanged: Israel continues to act without consequences proportional to the severity of the humanitarian situation we are all witnessing — and with which we feel the world continues to be complicit.
We deeply believe in love for music, but we cannot let this situation go unpunished.
It goes against our values, against what we believe in as artists and as people.
This period of silence was, for us, a time of reflection that we felt was necessary to think clearly and assess all possible ways of expressing our dissatisfaction with the situation. We are three different people and, as such, have different rhythms.
For that reason, we knew from the start that it would only make sense to share a final decision when we were all on the same page — without haste and without pressure.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who respected this time.
With the information we have and a clear conscience, we understand that if our song wins the Festival da Canção and circumstances remain unchanged, we will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest.”
At this time, Bandidos do Cante are the only act to have publicly confirmed they would participate in Eurovision should they win the Portuguese selection. André Amaro and Sandrino have not issued a public statement regarding their position.
Festival da Canção 2026 is scheduled for late February, with semi-finals on 21 and 28 February, and the grand final taking place on 7 March.
