Eurovision Song Contest is no stranger to controversy and surprises during the competition. The annual singing event spanned nearly 70 years, creating a 2020 movie starring Will Farrell And Rachel McAdams, has been used to raise awareness about invaded countries, make the British royal family look cooler, and host many scantily clad contestants. But allegations of misconduct are where event organizers draw the line, which is why, they say, the Dutch artist Joost Klein was eliminated from Eurovision 2024 just hours before he was scheduled to sing for the title.
Klein, a 26-year-old singer and rapper from Leeuwarden, Netherlands, delighted the audience with his pro-Europe techno song, “Europapa,” which Klein dedicated to his late father. England are expected to compete in the final on Saturday, along with representatives from 25 other countries who have persevered through the past four days of competition.
But those plans were derailed on Saturday morning, when event organizers announced that Klein had been dropped from the Grand Finale lineup due to “an incident that occurred following his performance in the evening’s Semi-Finals.” Thursday”.
Swedish police are investigating the incident, which “contrary to some media reports and speculation on social networks… does not involve any other performers or delegation members,” Eurovision said in a press release.
According to a statement from Dutch broadcaster Avrotros, the agency behind the country’s Eurovision selections, “Against the arrangements that were clearly made, Joost was filmed as he stepped off the stage and had to rush to the green room. At that time, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This was disrespectful.”
“This resulted in a threatening gesture from Joost towards the camera,” the broadcaster said. Joost did not touch the camerawoman,” and described his removal as “very harsh and disproportionate.”
