The Netherlands’ Eurovision contestant Joost Klein has been disqualified from the contest after being accused of making verbal threats towards a female member of production crew, police have said.
Klein was placed under investigation by the organisers yesterday (May 10) due to an “incident” and was not allowed to perform his song ‘Europapa’ during the final dress rehearsal.
A police spokesperson confirmed the incident took place after Klein’s performance on Thursday night at the Malmö Arena where the contest is being held.
The EBU, which organises the contest, said in a statement: “The Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be competing in the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
“Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final. While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest.
“We would like to make it clear that, contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other performer or delegation member.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure working environment for all staff at the Contest. In light of this, Joost Klein’s behaviour towards a team member is deemed in breach of Contest rules.”
The Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS also released a statement. “We have taken note of the disqualification by the EBU. AVOTROS finds the disqualification disproportionate and is shocked by the decision. We deeply regret this and will come back to this later.”
We hebben kennis genomen van de diskwalificatie door de EBU. @AVROTROS vindt de diskwalificatie disproportioneel en is geschokt door de beslissing. We betreuren het enorm en komen er later inhoudelijk op terug. #eurovision2024 #europapa #joostklein pic.twitter.com/OBBLl2mU5x
— Songfestival (@songfestival) May 11, 2024
The contest will now proceed tonight (May 11) with 25 countries participating. This marks the first time a contestant has been disqualified before the final despite having participated in the semi-final.
The case has been handed over to prosecutors in the region. Though Klein has been questioned by police, he has not been taken into custody.
Klein had been considered a possible favourite to win the contest with ‘Europapa’, a pro-Europe techno anthem dedicated to his father, who passed away from cancer when the singer was 12.
In other Eurovision news, Ireland’s representative Bambie Thug has called on the EBU to “show some humanity” over its handling of political issues as controversy related to Israel’s inclusion continues.
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