Netherlands disqualified from Eurovision final

(Patria) - The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest organization has decided to exclude the Netherlands from this year's competition following an "incident" involving their representative Joost Klein.

According to Sky News, Joost Klein allegedly made verbal threats on Thursday evening to a production worker at the Malmö arena.

“We want 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 have a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are committed to ensuring a safe working environment for all staff at the contest. In light of this, Joost Klein's behaviour towards a team member is considered a breach of the contest's rules.”

What is happening with the Dutch representative?

On Friday, however, the most talked-about topic is the Dutch representative Joost Klein, who did not appear at the first rehearsal. The opening of Eurovision was organized as a presentation of the countries and the entry of the performers in the order they would perform.

The Dutch representative is fifth in line and came on stage when he was supposed to, and nothing seemed unusual. But shortly before his performance, as the Dutch team had already started preparing the stage after Luxembourg, a short break was announced.

As reported by journalist Sara Duvnjak, media representatives and everyone present were asked for patience, and all the lights went out, and the stage design was brought out. After that, the rehearsal for the next country, Israel, began.

Let us recall that during a press conference, while Israel's representative Eden Golan was answering a journalist's question, Klein covered his head with a flag, likely sending a message about his thoughts on Israel's participation in this competition.