Disqualified Eurovision singer won’t face expenses

The Dutch singer Joost Klein, who was disqualified from the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, won’t be prosecuted over the “backstage incident” that led to his dismissal, Swedish authorities have stated.

Klein was banned from the grand last hours earlier than it passed off in Malmö on 11 May, after a feminine digital camera operator accused him of “threatening” behaviour.

However, on Monday, the Swedish prosecution authority stated it couldn’t show that Klein “had any such intention”.

Senior prosecutor Fredrik Jönssom stated the singer had made “a movement that hit the woman’s film camera” however that the course of occasions “was fast and was perceived differently by the witness of the incident”.

“Today I’ve closed the investigation as a result of I can’t show that the act was able to inflicting critical worry,” he added.

The singer’s management said they were “extraordinarily comfortable and relieved” that the case had been abandoned.

“The previous few months have been terribly troublesome,” they said in a statement.

“Finally we will say it out loud: There was by no means a purpose for this case.”

The musician’s response was more light-hearted: He posted a compilation of happy dog videos to his Instagram story and updated his biography to read “Eurovision 2025”.

Klein had been one of the favourites to win the 2024 contest with techno anthem, Europapa.

The song was dedicated to his father, who died of cancer when Klein was 12. Before he died, Klein had promised to enter Eurovision on his behalf.

However, the singer’s plan fell apart when he was suspended during dress rehearsals the day before the grand final.

A day later, Swedish police confirmed that a man had been reported for making “illegal threats” to a member of the camera crew, and Klein was disqualified.

Dutch broadcaster Avrotros, which is responsible for arranging the country’s Eurovision entry, called the move “disproportionate”.

It said that Klein had been filmed immediately after coming off stage “towards clearly made agreements” and against his repeated indications that he did not want to be on camera.

Responding to the Swedish prosecutor’s decision to drop the case, the broadcaster said it would call a meeting with contest organisers the EBU to express its dissatisfaction.

“From the start, now we have stated that this disqualification was pointless and disproportionate and so it now seems to be.

“We are still deeply disappointed that the Europa adventure of Joost Klein and of the entire Netherlands was brutally ended in this way.

“The subsequent step is to have a gathering with the EBU administration about this matter at very quick discover.”

Klein’s disqualification was not the only source of controversy at this year’s contest.

Israel’s participation was widely criticised amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, with several pro-Palestinian protests taking place around Malmö Arena.

Italy’s Angelina Mango and Ireland’s Bambie Thug were among contestants who complained of a “tense” and “horrible” atmosphere backstage.

Other entrants accused the Israeli delegation of filming them and posting clips online without their permission.

Avrotros said it would raise “different objections in regards to the course of occasions behind the scenes” during its meeting with the EBU.

It noted that those complaints had previously been raised “in a complete letter of objection, which so far has remained unanswered”.

“The ball is now within the EBU’s court docket,” it concluded.