MusicJoost Klein is the big absentee on Friday afternoon at the dress rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday. The EBU announced in a statement that an incident has occurred with the Dutchman. “He will therefore not rehearse until further notice.” All parties are keeping tight-lipped for the time being, only AvoTros gave a short announcement to the Dutch media. According to the Swedish media, it may involve a physical confrontation.
LOOK. “We saw him on stage at the flag parade, but after that he was nowhere to be seen,” says our journalist from Malmö
Klein was actually supposed to perform as the fifth act, but after number 4 – Luxembourg – the rehearsal went straight to number 6, Israel. The Dutchman’s props that had already been driven to the stage were simply removed again, it sounds. Nothing further was said about this in the room. He was announced in the flag parade, where the singer walked across the stage.
(Read more below the post)
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It is not clear why Klein is missing. AvroTros, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the delegation leader have not yet given a reason. The EBU did share the following statement: “We are currently investigating an incident surrounding the Dutch entry. Klein will not be rehearsing for the time being.” If Joost Klein wants to participate in the final, he must at least participate in the jury show on Friday evening, because that is where the points of the professional juries are distributed. Both the dress rehearsal and the jury show will not be broadcast on TV. AvroTros, responsible for the Dutch entry, responded for the first time in a WhatsApp message to the Dutch press well after four o’clock: “An investigation has indeed been initiated by the EBU following an incident. We are awaiting the outcome of this investigation and do not want to say anything about it until then.”
Speculation about possible reason for Joost Klein’s absence
According to ‘De Telegraaf’ there is a lot of speculation that Klein wanted to make a statement on stage, but was turned down by the organization. It is also suspected that Joost Klein’s absence may have something to do with a rather bitter moment during the press conference earlier. Israeli candidate Eden Golan was then asked: “Are you aware that with your presence at the Eurovision Song Contest you are endangering the audience and other participants?” The interview supervisor quickly intervened and assured her that she did not have to answer. But the Dutchman clearly thought differently about that. “Why not?” he wondered out loud. The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet – usually well informed – meanwhile writes that the absence of Joost Klein would have nothing to do with the press conference. “According to information provided to Aftonbladet, it is instead about another incident, which would have occurred after the semi-final, as a result of which Joost Klein did not rehearse.” They now write that violent behavior against a female TV employee is said to be the cause. The Swedish broadcaster SVT is also talking about a “physical confrontation” between the singer and a photographer.
In the meantime, a video of Dov Gil-Har, an Israeli journalist, trying to approach Joost Klein’s team backstage has also surfaced on social media. “We wanted to ask Joost Klein for a response,” it sounds. “But we were pushed away by his guards.”
LOOK. This is the video that the Israeli journalist posted on X:
Canceled press conference
The organization of the Eurovision Song Contest has now canceled a planned press conference on Friday evening. The artists who would speak to the media want to “focus on the rehearsals”, the organization said. The so-called ‘Big 5’ countries and Sweden, who had already automatically qualified for the grand final on Saturday, would answer questions from the press. No further explanation about the cancellation of the press moment is given. It is also not clear whether it is related to the investigation into an incident involving Dutch participant Joost Klein.
Joost Klein has now deleted all his Instagram Stories around the Eurovision Song Contest and is unfollowing Eurovision on the platform.
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LOOK. “Why shouldn’t she answer?”: Joost Klein is moved during a tricky question to an Israeli singer
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Tags: Joost Klein allowed rehearse Eurovision Song Contest final time incident Swedish broadcaster talks physical confrontation Eurovision songfestival
