Eurovision suspends contestant from the Netherlands due to “behind-the-scenes incident”

Joost Klein, the Netherlands’ representative in the 2024 edition of the Eurovision Festival, was suspended by the event’s organizers after an unspecified “backstage incident”.

According to the newspaper “The Telegraph”, Klein did not participate in the rehearsals for the grand final of the competition, which will take place this Saturday in Malmö, Sweden. The musician was one of the competitors qualified in the second semi-final, on Thursday.

In a statement, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said it was investigating the incident, stressing that Joost Klein will not be allowed to attend rehearsals “until further notice”. The UER also declined to comment further on the case.

After the second semi-final, Klein was involved in a small incident involving Israeli competitor, Eden Golan, at the press conference with the ten second semi-finalists.

Golan was asked by one of the journalists present in the room whether she felt her presence at Eurovision constituted a “security risk” for the other participants.

Members of the organization interceded for the singer, telling her that she did not need to answer the question, following Klein’s vehement protest: “why?”. While Golan responded, Klein simply covered himself with a flag, crossing his arms.

Yesterday afternoon, more than 10 thousand people gathered on the streets of Malmö, Sweden, where the festival is taking place, to protest against Israel’s presence in Eurovision due to the war in Gaza.