Even before the grand finale, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is overshadowed by a scandal. A few hours before the final on Saturday evening (9 p.m.), the organizer, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), officially excluded the Dutch candidate Joost Klein from the competition. It was previously announced that the Swedish police were investigating an incident involving the rapper after the semi-final show. The decision was greeted with horror in the Netherlands.
The incident was reported and police launched an investigation. Swedish police and the EBU confirmed on Saturday that a woman from the production team had lodged a complaint against the Dutchman with the authorities. The EBU said that as long as the police investigation into the case was ongoing, it would not be appropriate for Klein to be allowed to take part in the competition.
Malmö police spokesman Pelle Vamstad told AFP about the allegations against Klein: “The police are investigating intimidation. The crime was committed on Thursday evening in the Malmö Arena.” The suspect was heard. “He is not in custody.”
Netherlands reacts in horror
According to the Dutch television channel Avrotros, the incident that led to the Dutch candidate’s exclusion is related to filming that was unwanted by Joost. “After the performance last Thursday, an incident occurred. Contrary to clear agreements, Joost was filmed as he was coming off the stage and had to rush into the greenroom,” Avrotros said on Saturday evening. “At that moment, Joost repeatedly made it clear that he did not want to be filmed. This was not taken to heart. This caused Joost to make a threatening movement towards the camera. Joost didn’t touch the camerawoman.”
Dutch TV commentator Cornald Maas said the incident had nothing to do with Israel or the Israeli delegation. “The incident is hardly worth mentioning.” The Dutch TV station reacted with horror to the exclusion. “Avrotros finds the measure very harsh and disproportionate. We stand for good manners so that there are no misunderstandings, but in our eyes a measure of exclusion is disproportionate to this incident,” the broadcaster said, saying it was “very disappointed and dismayed,” including for the millions of fans. “What Joost brought to the Netherlands and Europe should not have ended like this.”
Concerns about the political background of Klein’s exclusion are unfounded
The ESC was already extremely politically charged: several candidates criticized the participation of the Israeli singer Eden Golan with a view to the Gaza war. Irish contributor Bambie Thug said he cried over Golan’s entry into the final. Two pro-Palestinian demonstrations were announced for Saturday alone in the southern Swedish venue of Malmö. At a rally on Thursday with thousands of participants, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, things remained quiet. In Helsinki, demonstrators in the reception area of the Finnish broadcaster Yle called for a boycott of the ESC broadcast.
The 26-year-old Klein was considered one of the favorites with his song “Europapa” – a tribute to his late father. Now the EBU said: “Swedish police have investigated a complaint from a female member of the production team following an incident following his performance in the semi-finals on Thursday evening. While the investigation is ongoing, it would not be appropriate for him to continue taking part in the competition.” The grand finale of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will therefore only have 25 participants. Germany is there with the artist Isaak and the song “Always On The Run”.
Joost Klein was already suspended
The musician had already not taken part in the two rehearsals for the final on Friday. According to the EBU on Friday, this was also about investigating an incident involving the artist. The Dutchman showed up for the first rehearsal and also took part in the flag parade. However, he did not rehearse his song “Europapa”. A little later, the EBU decided not to let the singer perform during the second dress rehearsal of the competition. The juries from all participating countries regularly vote on this. You should evaluate Klein based on a previous performance.