Joost Klein excluded from the ESC final – Dutch Radio files a complaint
Dutchman Joost Klein excluded from final – police investigate “incident”
The Dutchman Joot Klein is officially excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest. The reason for this is police investigations into an incident after Klein’s semi-final appearance on Thursday. According to media reports, he is said to have become violent towards employees.
The Dutch singer Joost Klein is excluded from the ESC final. The reason is allegations from a woman from the ESC production team. A Dutch TV station criticized the decision – and presented its behind-the-scenes view of the incident.
Eklat in Malmö: For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), a participant has been excluded from the ongoing competition. A few hours before the final on Saturday, the European Broadcasting Union EBU announced the end of the Dutchman Joost Klein. The reason is a complaint from a woman from the ESC production team after an unspecified incident on Thursday. The exclusion should have nothing to do with Klein’s behavior towards Israeli starter Eden Golan.
The incident is said to have occurred after the second ESC semi-final on Thursday evening, in which the Dutchman, who was one of the favorites with the song “Europapa”, qualified for the final. Klein had already been excluded from rehearsals for the ESC final on Friday without any further explanation being given.
Meanwhile, the Dutch public broadcaster (NPO) filed an official complaint with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) following the exclusion of Dutch candidate Joost Klein from the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). This happened shortly before the start of the final on Saturday evening in the name of the participating Dutch TV channel Avrotrots, as reported by the Dutch news agency ANP.
“Today we were informed of the EBU’s decision to disqualify the Dutch delegation from today’s ESC show in Malmö. On behalf of NPO and Avrotrots, we hereby officially announce that we do not agree with this decision and have strong objections,” the broadcaster wrote to the organizer EBU. The NPO wanted to submit substantive arguments for the complaint later.
The 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.”
Dutch television channel Avrotros called the disqualification “disproportionate.” The broadcaster later published a more detailed statement and explained its point of view. Accordingly, the incident was related to unwanted filming.
Dutch TV broadcaster criticizes ESC exclusion
“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.”
“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.”
The EBU had previously denied reports and speculation on online services that another artist or a delegation member was involved in the incident. In particular, there was speculation that Klein’s behavior towards Israel’s starter after the second semi-final could be the reason for the investigation. When they were questioned at the press conference, he pulled the Dutch flag over his head and interrupted, which was seen as disrespectful and as an expression of his criticism of Israel.
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. 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”.
The ESC organizer emphasized that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior at the event and is committed to providing a safe working environment for all employees at the competition. “Against this background, Joost Klein’s behavior towards a team member is viewed as a violation of the competition rules,” it continued.