Earlier today, the Swedish Prosecution Authority dropped the case against Joost Klein regarding the incident that took place during Eurovision week, and which led to his disqualification. The senior prosecutor stated that he could not prove any criminal conduct. Eurovision organisers EBU and the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS have now reacted.
The EBU – A disqualification decision “which we stand by completely”
At 16:11 CEST, the European Broadcasting Union released a statement reacting to the information, penned by Jean Phillip de Tender, EBU deputy director general and director of media.
The EBU aims to ensure the Eurovision Song Contest is a show for everyone and is a safe place for staff, artists, guests and fans.
Like all responsible employers, we do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour and will always respond to any workplace issues that are reported to us.
The decision to disqualify Mr Klein from this year’s event was made in strict accordance with Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) rules and governance procedures, after an internal investigation.
In parallel, Swedish police decided to open a formal investigation into the conduct of Mr Klein during the Second Semi Final, which we understand was closed today without further action.
This was an investigation into whether a criminal act was committed and not whether Mr Klein behaved inappropriately and breached ESC rules and procedures. This new development therefore does not have any impact on our decision which we stand by completely.
The wording is in line with the statement justifying the disqualification, which was decided on the day of the Grand Final. The EBU’s argument is that the legal qualification in criminal law of the incident has no bearing on their decision, which was closer to an “internal discipline” matter. The actions of Joost Klein, as the EBU understood them at the time, were enough to be in breach of the “ESC rules and procedures” and justified his disqualification, even though they were not criminal.
AVROTROS – “The ball is now in the EBU’s court”
While the EBU stands by their decision, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS stands by Joost Klein, as they have done in the past. Releasing their own statement this afternoon, they condemned again the disqualification as “disproportionate” and said they plan on hosting a meeting soon with the EBU.
We have also just learned that the criminal investigation against Joost Klein has been suspended by the Swedish Public Prosecutor’s Office because there is no evidence of criminal conduct.
From the beginning, we have said that this disqualification was unnecessary and disproportionate and so it now appears 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 next step is to have a meeting with the EBU management about this matter at very short notice.
This meeting will focus on this unjust disqualification. We will also discuss all our other objections about the course of events behind the scenes at the Song Contest that we previously sent to the EBU in a comprehensive letter of objection, which to date has remained unanswered.
AVROTROS’ approach is and remains that the Song Contest is about artists and their musical message. The ball is now in the EBU’s court.
The statement recalls earlier reports by Dutch media, which claimed AVROTROS had sent a verbal communication on Thursday 9th May then a written report on Friday 10th to the EBU. The report raised concerns about the “unsafe environnement” behind the scenes. Other broadcasters raised similar concerns during or after the event (like Slovenia’s RTVSLO and Portugal’s RTP), as well as some artists (including Lithuania’s Sylvester Belt, Ireland’s Bambie Thug, or Switzerland’s Nemo).
The EBU held an independent review of the events in the months following the contest, and although they did not release the full results, they publicly drew some conclusions from it. At the time, AVROTROS confirmed their satisfaction that the EBU had taken the report seriously. Now it seems they changed their mind.
One thing is certain: the hatchet is not yet buried.
What do you think about these statements? Is the Dutch participation in doubt for 2025? Was the EBU’s decision disproportionate? Tell us more in the comments below or on social media at @escxtra!
