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Joost Klein, the Dutch candidate in the Eurovision song contest, has been banned from the competition’s final taking place tonight in Malmö, Sweden, following a formal complaint by a female member of the production crew.
“The Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be competing in the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest,” the event’s organizer, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), said in a statement Saturday. The decision follows an investigation by Swedish police into the woman’s complaint, which was made “after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final,” according to the statement.
“While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the contest,” the EBU said.
The case has now been passed to a prosecutor, the Swedish press reported. The complaint accuses Klein of making threats, according to the reports. Further details were unavailable.
Reports of a possible “incident” concerning the singer circulated on Friday after Klein was unexpectedly banned from taking his turn during the second dress rehearsal, even though he attended the traditional “flag parade” at the beginning of the competition.
Confusion over the matter prompted the EBU to issue a statement on Friday saying that it was “currently investigating an incident … involving the Dutch artist.”
A spokesperson from the Swedish police confirmed that a man is suspected of unlawful threats at Malmö Arena on Thursday evening, according to Swedish media outlet SVT Nyheter.
Speculation that the investigation had something to do with the Israeli participant Eden Golan grew after a tense exchange between the two performers during a Eurovision press conference on Thursday evening.
Asked if her participation in the song contest presented a security risk to others in the show given that her presence, song and recent qualification for the semi-final had sparked fierce protests in Malmö, a representative of the EBU told Golan she didn’t have to answer but Klein shouted back asking “Why not?”
In its statement on Saturday, the EBU said that “contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other performer or delegation member.”
According to the Eurovision website, the “Rest of the World” vote — which allows people in non-participating countries to vote — has been postponed until the “ongoing investigation regarding the Dutch participant has been concluded.”
Israel’s Golan earlier qualified for the Eurovision final hours after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the streets of Malmö to show their support for Gaza. After Golan had been booed during dress rehearsals, there was a mixture of cheering and booing again during Thursday’s semi-final.
