25 countries will compete in the 2024 final. Joost Klein, the representative of the Netherlands, who was disqualified on Saturday, May 11, did not appear on the stage. The EBU issued a statement regarding the singer.
The Netherlands disqualified from Eurovision 2024
Joost Klein was disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest after allegedly committing violence against one of the people working to organize the concert. Initially, the artist was only suspended for the duration of one of the stage rehearsals, which were to be assessed by the jury. Ultimately, however, the EBU decided that the song “Europapa” would not compete for victory.
“The Dutch artist Joost Klein will not take part in the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The Swedish police initiated proceedings after a complaint submitted by one of the women working on the organization of the concert regarding the situation she was fed up with after Thursday’s semi-final performance. Although the proceedings are ongoing, there would be no appropriate if the musician continued to compete in the competition. We want to make clear that, contrary to media reports and speculation on social media, the situation does not involve another contestant or member of another delegation,” the European Broadcasting Union said.
“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding inappropriate behavior at our concert and we want it to be a safe place for the employees and staff of the Contest. In this light, Joost Klein’s behavior constitutes a violation of the Contest rules. The Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will take place with the participation of 25 participants “- we read in the announcement.
The Netherlands did not announce the results of its jury’s voting during the Eurovision final
The Dutch broadcaster also commented on the situation. “Avrotros considers the punishment to be very harsh and disproportionate. We stand for good manners – let there be no doubt about that – but in our opinion the exclusion order is not proportionate to the incident. We are very disappointed and worried for the millions of fans who were so excited about today evening. What Joost contributed to the Netherlands and Europe should not have ended this way,” the statement read.
Due to the situation, Avrotros decided that their country would not publicly award points from the jury. The spokeswoman for the Netherlands was supposed to be the famous YouTuber Nikkie de Jager, but the celebrity will not appear in the coverage of the final in Malmo. “Now that Avrotros is no longer taking part in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, we do not feel the need to award points from the Dutch jury. After consulting with Nikkie de Jager, who was to be our spokesperson tonight, we decided not to do so. Like Nikkie, we imagined imagine this evening completely differently,” reads the Dutch statement.
During the final, the results of the jury voting in the Netherlands were announced by the executive producer of Eurovision 2024, Martin Osterdhal. He was booed by the audience.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
