Picture credits: © EBU / Sarah Louise Bennett New details about the case of Joost Klein, the representative of the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024, who was disqualified from the final this morning, have emerged. The participating public broadcaster feels that it was a disproportionate decision by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) given the events, which it detailed for the first time since the controversy arose.
In a statement issued this afternoon, AVROTROS clarified the events: “An incident occured 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 green room. At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he didn not want to be filmed. This wasn’t respected. This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards camera. Jost did not touch the camera woman. This incident was reported, followed by an investigation by the EBU and the police”.
According to the Dutch public broadcaster, solutions were proposed before the drastic decision, which it considers inappropriate given the magnitude of the incident: “Yesterday and today we consulted extensively with the EBU and proposed several solutions. Nevertheless, the EBU has still decided to disqualify Joost Klein. AVROTROS finds the penalty very heavy and disproportionate. We stand for good maners – let there be no misunderstanding about that – but in our view, an exclusion order is not proportional to this incident”.
The published note concludes: “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”.
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