Netherlands breaks silence after Joost Klein’s Eurovision disqualification and slams ‘disproportionate’ ban
The official page of the Netherlands' Songfestival, which sends acts to Eurovision Song Contest, has finally broken its silence on Dutch act Joost Klein's disqualification. They revealed that the incident leading to Joost's disqualification involved him being filmed despite his repeated objections.
The statement from the Netherlands' Songfestival also mentioned that Dutch radio and television broadcaster AVROTROS found Joost Klein's disqualification "disproportionate".
Detailing why Eurovision officials have barred Joost from participating in Saturday's final, the statement read: "An incident occurred after last Thursday's performance. Against clearly made agreements, Joost was filmed when he had just gotten off stage and had to rush to the greenroom."
"At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This wasn't respected. This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera. Joost did not touch the camera woman."
"This incident was reported, followed by an investigation by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and police. Yesterday and today we consulted extensively with the EBU and proposed several solutions. Nevertheless, the EBU has still decided to disqualify Joost Klein.", reports the Mirror.
The broadcaster AVROTROS expressed their shock at the Eurovision decision, stating: "AVROTROS finds the penalty very heavy and disproportionate. We stand for good manners let there be no misunderstanding about that but in our view, an exclusion order is not proportional to this incident."
They added their regret for the fans, saying: "We are very disappointed and upset for the millions of fans who were so excited for tonight. What Joost brought to the Netherlands and Europe shouldn't have ended this way."
The drama unfolded when Joost was pulled from the competition on Friday amid swirling rumours of a backstage altercation. The European Broadcasting Union later confirmed he was being investigated after an incident, releasing a statement: "The Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be competing in the Grand Final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night's Semi Final."
The statement clarified the situation regarding his participation: "While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest. We would like to make it clear that, contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other performer or delegation member."
"We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure working environment for all staff at the Contest. In light of this, Joost Klein's behaviour towards a team member is deemed in breach of Contest rules. The Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will now proceed with 25 participating songs."
