Joost Klein will not perform for the Netherlands in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night in Malmö, the organisers have announced. The Dutch entry will not be replaced.
Swedish police are investigating a complaint lodged by a “female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final”, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the Eurovision Song Contest, said.
“While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest,” the EBU said. The organisation stressed that no other artists or delegation members were involved in the incident.
The EBU said it has a zero-tolerance policy towards “inappropriate behaviour at our event” and wants to provide a safe working environment for all staff. “In light of this, Joost Klein’s behaviour towards a team member is deemed in breach of Contest rules.”
The final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night would normally see 26 countries competing for victory. Following the disqualification of Joost Klein, the final will now take place with 25 songs, the EBU said.
It is the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest that a candidate has been disqualified during the event, Dutch news agency ANP reported.
AVROTROS, the participating Dutch broadcaster, described the disqualification as “disproportionate” and said it was “shocked” by the decision. “We deeply regret this and will come back to this later,” said AVROTROS.
