Eurovision Disqualification: The Joost Klein Controversy Unraveled

Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Joost Klein, the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, has been disqualified from the final of the song contest. An investigation into the singer was extended after a female production employee filed a complaint against Klein. The organizing broadcaster AvroTros calls the exclusion “disproportionate”.

Joost Klein’s big goal was brutally shattered on Saturday afternoon. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organization behind the Eurovision Song Contest, has chosen that the Dutch entry will no longer be permitted to participate in the final. 

What Prompted Joost Klein’s Exclusion from Eurovision’s Final?

The drastic decision came after a female production worker of the Eurovision Song Contest filed a complaint against Klein. Both the woman and the singer were questioned by the police late on Friday evening. “While the legal proceedings take their approach, it would not be appropriate for him to continue participating in the Eurovision Song Contest,” the EBU justified its decision in a press release.

It became clear on Friday evening that something was extremely wrong. Joost Klein had to fail to appear before the professional jury. A recording of his performance was delivered instead. In the afternoon it came to light that an “incident” had taken place. The possibilities remain vague to this day. 

The Swedish police revealed to VRT NWS that “unlawful threats” had been made and that the facts took place on Thursday evening in the Malmö Arena. Klein then took part in the semi-finals there. The examination is now in the hands of the public prosecutor and could continue for weeks.

The EBU relies on “a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour”. According to them, the Dutch entry has threatened the safe working environment of the competition staff, which is considered “a violation of the competition rules”. The Netherlands may still award points. These will be distributed on Saturday evening by Nikkie de Jager from Leeuwarden. The “Europe Party” that was to take place there has now been renamed the “Consolation Party”.

How Did AvroTros Respond to Joost Klein’s Disqualification?

The disqualification is particularly hard on our northern neighbours. The organizing broadcaster AvroTros calls the exclusion of its candidate “disproportionate” and is “shocked”. The Dutch public broadcaster (NPO), which is above AvroTros, speaks of a “disappointment” and a “very drastic decision”.

Presenter Cornald Maas, who has been delivering commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest for years, lashed out even harder: “Disproportionate and shameful decision,” he said on X. “And one more thing,” he wanted to say, the “incident has nothing to do with Israel or Israeli delegation. Incident hardly amounts to anything. More about that later. It is ‘hell’ for connector Joost Klein and his team.” “With this EBU, anything can happen in the future,” he stated dissatisfied.

The EBU also wanted to say in its press release that no other participant or delegation member was involved in the “incident”. The organizer is responding to speculation on (social) media that the highly controversial participation of Israel may have something to do with it. Joost Klein had previously made himself noticed at a press conference, where he sat next to Israeli candidate Eden Golan. There, the singer was asked whether she was concerned that her participation could endanger other candidates. After a press attaché told her she didn’t have to answer that, Klein responded: “Why not?” Rumor then went around that Klein wanted to make another statement about Israel, which is waging a bloody war in Gaza.

The disqualification of ‘Europapa’, the song by Joost Klein, is a sad first. Never before in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest has a country been excluded from the event. Participations were cancelled in advance because songs were presented too late, or because a country still had a debt to pay off to the EBU, as was the case for Romania for eight years. Political considerations also played a role. For example, Lebanon did not want to broadcast Israel’s song in 2005, after which it had to leave itself. Since 2022, Russia has also no longer participated, because the public broadcaster has too close ties with the government that is waging war in Ukraine.