Netherlands suspended from Eurovision rehearsals due to organization | Eurovision

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has suspended the Netherlands from rehearsals for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Malmö, Sweden, due to an “incident” with Joost Klein, the country’s representative. in the competition that reached the final this Thursday night.

According to the EBU, in a statement cited by the EFE news agency, “an incident” is being investigated, reported to that organization and involving the artist Joost Klein. The representative of the Netherlands “will not rehearse until further notice”, says the EBU, adding that it will not make any further comments on the case, which will be updated “in due time”.

Joost Klein, who sings Europapa at the festival, participated this Friday in the rehearsal of the flag parade that marks the beginning of the final ceremony of the competition, scheduled for Saturday.

However, the representative of the Netherlands did not appear on stage when it was his turn to perform, in fifth place, before the Israeli candidate, Eden Golan.

The two singers were involved in a tense situation on Thursday at the press conference of the countries qualified for the second semi-final of the competition.

At the press conference, a Polish journalist questioned the Israeli artist about her responsibility in the highest level of terrorist alert in Malmö.

“By being here, you are a safety risk and a danger to everyone. Don’t you mind that?” he asked. The press conference moderator reminded Eden Golan that she was not obligated to answer the question. “Why not?” asked the artist from the Netherlands out loud. The episode went viral on social media.

Despite not being obliged to respond, the Israeli singer said she believes everyone is in the Eurovision Song Contest for a reason, “and that the EBU has taken all precautions to make it safe for everyone”.

Israel and the Netherlands are two of the 26 countries competing in the final of this year’s edition of the competition on Saturday, including Portugal, represented by Iolanda and the song “Grito”.

The 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is being marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The conflict, which has lasted for decades, intensified after an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israel, on October 7, which caused almost 1,200 deaths, with the country led by Benjamin Netanyahu responding with an offensive that caused more than 34,000 deaths. killed in the Gaza Strip, according to reports from both parties.

Several appeals were made by European political representatives and artists to the EBU for Israel’s participation in the contest to be vetoed.

Among the various appeals, at the end of March, representatives of nine countries, including Portugal, signed a letter in which they called for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire” in the war in Palestine and the return of all Israeli hostages.

At the time, the EBU recalled that the festival is an “apolitical” event. However, in 2022 it was decided to expel Russia from the competition following the invasion of Ukraine.

On Thursday, thousands of people walked the streets of Malmö calling for Israel’s expulsion from the Eurovision Song Contest, because of the offensive carried out by that country in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Spanish agency EFE, the protest, which began at 4pm local time (3pm in Lisbon), was called by the platform Stop Israel, for peace and for free Palestine, which groups together more than 60 organizations.

The Portuguese representative, iolanda, appeared on Sunday on the “turquoise walkway” (where representatives from all countries parade, thus marking the beginning of the competition’s live shows), in Malmö, wearing a dress from a Palestinian brand and her nails painted with the pattern keffiyeha scarf that is a symbol of Palestinian resistance.

On Tuesday, the conflict was brought to the stage, during the opening number of the first semi-final, by singer Eric Saade, who represented Sweden in the contest in 2011 with Popular. Eric Saade, of Palestinian descent, sang with his left hand wrapped in a keffiyeh.

On Thursday, when the Israeli representative was present during the second semi-final of the competition, whistles were heard, particularly in the initial part of the performance.

On Wednesday, at rehearsals, which like the semi-finals and final are open to the public, Eden Golan had been booed by some of those present.

Israel was the first non-European country to participate in the music competition, in 1973, and has won four times, including with transgender singer Dana International, in 1998.