The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) continues to “fully” support the decision to disqualify Joost Klein from the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, despite the Swedish authorities’ decision to drop the investigation into the artist.
In a statement, EBU head Jean Philip De Tender clarified that the Swedish investigation focused on whether a criminal offense had been committed, not on whether Mr. Klein had behaved inappropriately or violated Eurovision rules.
De Tender emphasized that the Swedish authorities’ decision not to prosecute Klein has “no bearing” on the EBU’s decision to disqualify the singer, reaffirming their stance on the matter.
In May, the Dutch entry for the Eurovision Song Contest was disqualified following an incident behind the scenes of the event, in which the singer allegedly made a threatening gesture toward a camerawoman.
On Monday, it was revealed that Swedish authorities had decided to close the investigation due to a lack of evidence, concluding that Klein’s actions could not be proven to have caused “serious fear” or that he had such intentions.
Klein’s manager expressed that the singer is “incredibly happy and relieved” that the investigation into the alleged violent incident has been dropped. “As a team, we are immensely happy and relieved that this uncertain period has come to an end. We can finally say it out loud: there was never any reason for this case.”
AVROTROS intends to have a discussion with the EBU in the near future, focusing on what they view as the “unjust disqualification” of Klein.
