Cutting Joost Klein from Eurovision is a "drastic" response to minor incident: Dutch team
The decision to disqualify Joost Klein from the Eurovision Song Contest is both a "very drastic" response, and a "major disappointment," said a spokesperson for NPO, the parent organization of all Dutch public broadcasters. The incident that led to Klein's disqualification from the event "hardly amounts to anything," said Cornald Maas, who presents Eurovision in the Netherlands and has been on the Dutch selection committee for 20 years.
Klein was suspended on Friday afternoon by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over an allegation that he threatened a female member of the Eurovision production staff, said police in Malmö, Sweden, where the event is being held. He was not allowed to take part in either of the two dress rehearsals on Friday as the police investigation into the incident continued.
Klein became the first person to ever be disqualified from the event once it was already underway. The decision to kick him out of the contest came on Saturday after the police handed the case over to prosecutors. Media outlet AVROTROS, which handles Dutch participation in the contest, said it was "shocked" by the EBU's decision.
"This is a disappointment for the millions of Eurovision fans in the Netherlands and other countries in Europe," the NPO wrote in a short statement on Saturday afternoon. "We will extensively evaluate the course of events after the Eurovision Song Contest with AVROTROS, the EBU and all other parties involved."
"Joost Klein disqualified. Disproportionate and disgraceful decision EBU," wrote Cornald Maas on X. "Long live the future of Eurovision - not," he added sarcastically.
"Incident hardly amounts to anything. More about that later. It is 'hell'" for Joost Klein & his team, who Maas described as a performer that promotes connectivity between others.
Maas also denounced the current state of the EBU, suggesting the organization is chaotic where "anything can happen in [the] future." Maas also noted that Eurovision affirmed Klein's disqualification was unrelated to the bad blood between him, Israeli performer Eden Golan, her team and her supporters.
"What a big disappointment," wrote Sijbe Knol, the Frisian provincial commissioner in charge of cultural policy. Klein, 26, hails from Leeuwarden, Friesland, and his home province has largely rallied behind the performer in the past few months.
He noted that the situation has only losers, where nobody benefits. "I hope Joost has good people around him." The EBU's decision is "not frivolous," Knol wrote, saying he supported AVROTROS in their stoic response to the events.
"Unprecedented," he said.
