As everyone inside and outside of the Eurovision fandom now knows, Dutch artist Joost Klein is at risk of being prosecuted for allegedly making threats while competing at Eurovision 2024 in Malmö.
After the incident was reported to the EBU, The Netherlands was removed from rehearsals and the “Europapa” singer was eventually excluded from the competition.
Afterwards, the Dutch broadcaster responded with a statement that clarified the situation. They wrote:
“An incident occurred after last Thursday’s performance. Against clearly made agreements, Joost was filmed when he had just gotten off stage and had to rush to the greenroom. At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This wasn’t respected. This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera. Joost did not touch the camera woman. This incident was reported, followed by an investigation by the EBU and police.”
Joost Klein’s lawyer says singer “pushed the camera” but made no threats
Jan-Åke Fält, Joost’s lawyer, has now spoken out, re-iterating that Joost denies any crime. As Sweden’s state broadcaster SVT reports:
“As I understand it, there was an agreement between him and the management. It was a sensitive occasion where he would not be photographed when he left the stage. He was to be met by his team but there was a photographer. He asked the person to stop filming.”
But according to Joost’s lawyer, the photographer persisted. “Then [Joost] pushed the camera away to remove it. He denies threatening this person.”
The trial is set to start at the beginning of June. SVT says that the police have not yet concluded their investigation. They add that police previously stated they were fast-tracking the prosecution because there was sufficient evidence and because “it is not a more serious crime.”
“We have had access to the investigation and now have the opportunity to comment on it,” he told SVT. “We will request that some Dutch people be heard. Then we’ll see if we get it through. I see the chances of release as good.”
Can we stop all the rumor spreading and guessing? We weren’t there so we don’t who is telling the truth or who is lying or who is exaggerating what happened. There’s probably some of all of it going on. Just hold on a bit. There will soon be an official police report and statement from the prosecutors office detailing what the investigation found and what comes next. Then we’ll know.
Wow, i just saw a picture taken from the stage into the audience.
And the whole audience in the photo 25 rows x 25 rows, consists of middle aged men.
There is not even one woman or young guy in the photo. (Live on Saturday I saw some high up on the balcony’s).
I knew many ESC fans are men, but didn’t know it was like this.
That’s different from the people and families watching at home.
Surprise!
I thought also younger men, not only middle-aged, and at least Some women..
Yeah EBU really effed up. Joost really appeals to Generations Z and Alpha. He could have tapped into a whole new audience for Eurovision. On TikTok he is bigger than all other artists and Eurovision itself.
Good.
A wider audience than the bubble is always good.
This year there were some nice ones for the kids like NL, Poland and Cyprus, and also a few classy mature acts.
But please dont bring Lil Kleine or Baby Gang next year.
Swiss camera women, watch out.
Disclaimer for Joost, suspended until proven guilty.
O.Joost Simpson
Joost never killed two people or routinely beat up the women in his life. (as far as anyone knows)
Dutch delegation: There was no physical assault, just angry words.
Joost’s lawyer: yeah, he attacked her, big deal.
Fans: See? He’s innocent!
I’m on the side of the victim in this case and I bet that if someone did that to you, you wouldn’t be as forgiving.
If you forced a camera up in my face without my consent i would as well pushed this camera away. This photographer is the bad person here for throwing accusations around when she is obviously the perpetrator here… she is even swedish. Sweden is seriously hard on the law of consent at the time, but maybe this law only applies to men and not women….
Were you there? Are you part of the investigation? Or are you just defending your favourite artist? I wasn’t there – and until I’m not going to argue if Joost’s actions were justified or not. I’m also not going to vilify the other person involved, or attack EBU for deciding that a person that’s being investigated by police should be disqualified no matter how much I disagree with them(they should have waited and/or issue a fine or something imo). What I will do is point out that claiming “he didn’t touch her” when he shoved her camera is a nonsense.… Read more »
So he went to perform in the biggest musical TV show in the world, a show that’s known to very well document the rehearsals and behind the scenes and was surprised by the presence of CAMERAS? Just stop it! All the performers knew exactly what they came to and played the game. For years there was never an incident like this one.
A man can pull the trigger but isn’t touch the woman. A man can hit a woman with a camera but didn’t touch her.
Didn’t
Stop framing until we know what happened exactly
A person can enter personal space in a perceived violent way. By the way touching a camera is not shooting a gun. Silly comparison.
I wait for the police investigation and the possible disciplinary action against the camera person if they broke agreed eurovision protocol.
The last thing the EBU would have needed needed or wanted on last Saturday morning was controversy like this one. Especially one involving a song and singer which were so fan favourites. So despite Klein’s lawyer’s claims, I think (for now) that there must have been some strong evidence and reason why they insisted on disqualification. What he must have done must have been pretty bad, at least in the context of the contest, if not in legal terms.
He did nothing. Stop fishing.
At that point there was no charge against him, and no police investigation, they punished him based on the photographers story only. How about innocent until proven guilty.
You can repeat that nonsense over and over, yet – it’s not true. As I have told you this before, what you are doing now is blatantly spreading misinformation and LYING on purpose. Or can’t you read? It’s even in there now: “This led to a threatening movement”. Everyone agreed that this actually happened. They are saying this here again. His freaking LAWYER says it. This is NOT about guilty or not being guilty and any sort of judicial proceedings. This is about someone misbehaving, which the EBU sees as a breach of the rules. They explained this before. Facts… Read more »
No it’s not about that, otherwise they would have DQ’ed that country as well they harrasses and bullied other countries but the EBU did nothing
“Threatening movement” is still subjective until we see the footage.
What’s interesting to know… What Rules and Regulations were there for photographers? Were they briefed in advance and if so what was the content of the briefing? Or could they do whatever they wanted? An event this big must have had guidelines.
That’s a good question Maria, because everyone is assuming it was the photographer who crossed the line. When it could be that she was just doing her job.
Is crossing someones personal line doing your job? What about manners and respect?
The media handbook says they must respect people working in the arena, but I don’t know if they also mean the artists.
artists are people too!
Manners and respect and Joost Klein? We saw in the press conference of semifinal 2 what a nice guy he is and what he thinks of manners and respect…
What I mean is were there any rules when it comes to approaching artists by photographers? I read the media guidelines (you can find them online) yesterday, it says they must respect people working in the arena, but I don’t know if this also concerns the artists it’s a bit vague. So maybe their exact briefing is more explicit about this.
The exact same photographer (it’s the one that shoots for the TikTok vids) was warned MULTIPLE TIMES before the semi final performance. It’s quite simple, she ignored the agreement made with the Dutch delegation because the EBU made her. TikTok is their sponsor, and Joost’s content is by far the most viewed. So, they did not honor the agreement. The EBU is responsible for the actions of their workers.
I’m not sure the photographer mentioned in the media is the one involved in the incident with Joost. EBU said it’ was a young photographer, this woman is 45, middle aged and almost 20 years older than Joost, you can’t call her young and she isn’t working for the EBU but a member of the delegation of that country.
He probably shouldn’t have lost his temper. If he can’t control his impulsive behavior he isn’t suitable to be part of such a big show as he can’t deal with stress. He also made provocations against Eden Golan which backfired against him. There were a lot of artist who didn’t like Israel on the contests yet stayed professional. Bambie Thug, the greek woman (forgot her name) and Joost Klein weren’t part of those, judging from a psychological standpoint. And yes, there should be a safe space for artists in the backstage and in their hotel environment. I found it disgusting… Read more »
observation*
And yes, we can tell he lost his temper as he already admitted he didn’t stay calm and professional.
I agree with you in that there needs to be more safe breathing space, in particular for those in semi two who have to go straight from that to the grand final. In the press conference, he didn’t directly attack Golan. His comment “why not” was addressed to the adjudicator after saying that a particular question did not have to be answered. It’s never a good idea to tell people how to do their jobs.
It was when he also put a flag over his head to show disrespect to Eden. The dutch delegation also left a chairs between him and Eden free although it was planned that the guy who was in the bird costume should have sat next to her. I think to a certain degree they were all victims in a way. He wanted to be the good guy by mocking Eden. Which in itself is a perversion and is showing how far that dutch delegation went off the idea of coming together despite differences and just celebrate music. If that idea… Read more »
Watch his concerts, he hides under a flag to control his emotions,
If you have to hide under a flag to control your emotions, a 800 million audience show might not be for you. The excuses you make up for this man…
You’re delusional. The press have already confirmed that Joost had his flag over his head the entire time, not just during Eden’s questions. So how did he mock her? He merely protested for fair treatment when he said “why not”. They all have to answer questions, and no one should get a pass. And of course he didn’t want to sit next to Eden. His fan base urged him a while back to not compete in support for Pstine. The image of them sitting together could be damaging for his career.
Eden Golan refused to answer, a question concerning the safety of the other artists,..
No, that’s not true.
Eden just answered the question. Very calm and polite.
The press conference you can view everywhere online.
She did, after Joost asked her to answer it at first she refused to answer, stick to the facts please
Not true. You can watch the un-cut clip.
She didn’t refused to answer it at all.
She actually moves her head to the microphone,
but then this man next to her already spoke before her and Joost already shouted before she could even react.
And then she continued and answered the question.
YOU of all people talk about FACTS? While you continue to spread misinformation? That’s pretty rich.
Girl, you truly are one piece of work… Actually the host of the press conference interfered immediately after a Polish journalist had the audacity to ask Eden Golan if she thought her presence would be dangerous to the other artists. So basically: Blame the Jew for antisemitism, which is disgusting in itself. She actually opens her mouth when the host of the press conference says “You do not need to answer that question.”. Then Joost being disrespectful and hiding below his flag cuts in and says “Why not?”, which is when Eden Golan raises her eyebrows and then answers the… Read more »
Martin Ostendahl should resign because of this
Unfortunately he is tone deaf for criticism so according to the EBU he’s good to stay.
Why?
What is the name of this Swedish woman? She made a big drama, insulted the man, was breaking any boundaries of privacy yet her name is not known? If she dares to film another guy without permission we should see her face and check her name. It then would be worthy to see her connnections to Israel as I suspect they are quite broad. So, was her name published anywhere?
You haven’t been at the scene, yet you know everything what the camera woman did. A lot of people would love to have such abilities as you have: Looking through walls and through time. *Irony off* If you ever heared of the rule of law, you would probably know that it’s the court to decide and not some emotional bunch of people. You also want to denounce someone who alledgly has been a victim of a crime, knowing very well that this would make that woman a target of hate crimes. Shame on you and everyone who is upvoting lynch… Read more »
You have to do some research, artists were harassed the whole time, back stage in smoking areas etc. because one specific delegation kept taking pictures of them without consent, it caused a lot of unnecessary tension.
Antisemitism causes a lot of unnecessary tension. And your dog-whistles are loud and clear.
Antisemitism? When? Where? Explain.
Now . If I go to the toilet and I have diar@@& Rhea I’ll blame Israel
Wtf does Israel have to do with this?
It’s not relevant for know, we don’t want her to be bullied
She’s a palestinian refugee living in Sweden for a long time.
What is the maximum penalty if Joost is convicted? Jail?
A fine
He’s already received the maximum penalty without being convinced: his dream was ruined and half of Europe thinks he assaults women.
Yes and besides this : EBU’s silence caused a public trial, which is about the biggest punishment a person can get, it damages both Joost and the photographer.
How can silence cause a trial?! This does not make sense yet again. When there is a chance a crime was committed, there will be the police doing their job. You know what helps: Behaving in a manner so that the police does not need to get involved. Oops.
He probably shouldn’t have lost his temper. If he can’t control his impulsive behavior he isn’t suitable to be part of such a big show as he can’t deal with stress. He also made provocations against Eden Golan which backfired against him. There were a lot of artist who didn’t like Israel on the contests yet stayed professional.
Bambie Thug, the greek woman (forgot her name) and Joost Klein weren’t part of those, judging from a psychological standpoint.
You must be a very perfect person but many people lose their temper every now and then, especially under very high pressure, and especially when persons don’t accept our personal boundaries , even my mom does and she is the most calm person I know.
Go away with your hate campaign against Joost.
For those who criticized , judging , hatred and downvoting against Joost Klein , at least his career now is taken off in the mainstream to UK Top 40. Sadly for you guys still stranded here on a threadmill
Usually by this time of year, we are discussing the results, and we have articles about the possible host cities and arenas of the next contest, countries that could come back, debut etc.
but nope.
This drama caused by the EBU is still on going and showing no signs of being swept away just yet.
EBU needs to step up and get real. It created a monster, and it’s got an insatiable appetite
We’d even be talking about the songs that charted all around the continent! This Eurovision run did better than expected on the charts but it’s not the hottest talk rn
EBU should release an official apology to Joost Klein.
The way they (EBU and this camera person) disrespected, bullied and harassed his boundaries after the agreement was made not to film after such an emotional moment is quite frankly unacceptable and disgraceful.
Maybe they should hand him the trophy and make him president of the world or something. Why are you people so silly? Honestly… There is a guy who misbehaves and sings a sh*tty little song and that’s enough for you to think he is above the law?! What is wrong with you?
Innocent till proven guilty.
Wiwibloggs, you REALLY have to do something about the political trolls in the comments. This is getting ridiculous. They are not even discussing the contest anymore.
I do wonder why they aren’t removing them when they routinely delete comments from stories – even when they are on topic and polite.
They’ve been banning people already, there’s several names you don’t see anymore that you saw last week
There were people who came on just to stir things up and never commented on the contest, the singers or the songs except as very thin veil to attack someone. And no matter what anyone said about anything, they would twist it into an attack. They should have been dealt with weeks ago. So if they finally got around to them, no one will be sad about it but other trolls and bigots.
Such as…
It all sounds like an mega overreaction. Netherlands should be automatic qualifier next year. Yes, i undestand that he made a mistake and touched the camera but come on. This is not how grown ups handle things. Just talk it through and apologize not go straight to police and court. And why is he the one to blame if the camera lady also broke agreements?
Yes, and a good spot in the second half of the final!
The general mood in my country the Netherlands is to withdraw indefinitely. Maybe if the entire board of the EBU is laid off, some people will change their mind. But I doubt if that will help.
Oh, actually this is how grown-ups handle things when someone threatens another person. We do not sit down and talk and then all is forgiven and forgotten. That’s kindergarten you are thinking about.
Dons from Latvia showing his support for Joost on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7FLB6esE8q/
as I expected this creepy mf can choke as well, supporting assault …
What assault?
Well if you can support a g3n0c1dal country under a BS alias, then why can’t Dons support the person he wants to.
Slithery slimy double standards by you people again!!!!!
Did you attack her?
Joost: Yesn’t.
this mf tries too hard to get away from this …
What attack? Where? When?
Your bots have been deactivated and are no longer here to support you. Go to bed.
Does anyone remember last Friday night lol. The stress, panic, anxiety…..im still recovering from everything. Eurovision is madhouse sometimes
YES!~it was so traumatic reading all the stories from my hotel rooms and all of my fellow eurovision fans were shocked and equally traumatic too.
It ruined the ESC experience for me and others and I have decided to just watch the show from my TV next year instead of paying a lot of money in Switzerland while EBU is turning a blind eye destroying our wonderful contest.
That period, from just after Semi Final 2 results to Saturday afternoon, should be forever referred to as the Eurovision Doomsday Blues. Musti was so close to being prophetic with his song “Before the Party is Over” too…
How come that the german media esc-kompakt can give updates on this case every day and wiwibloggs doesnt say anything really current?
Withdraw your subscription fee if that’s how you feel.
I simply asked a question…. Calm down you aggressiv little s..t!
Check check double check, this is the last news in the Dutch media as well, and they are on it believe me
Latest
Let’s get real. Even if he is convicted the chance of him receiving anything more than a nominal fine is slim to none.
So if he is convicted you still are making excuses for him? Bizar, better not to be around you
You need to re-read my comment. I said nothing about whether I thought he was guilty or innocent. I don’t know if he is or not. Unlike most, I am waiting for actual evidence to be released.
Sweden does not want to make a further fool of itself. This will be a dismissal.
if this winds up being about as serious as a speeding ticket i wouldn’t be surprised at all
Israeli outlet Ynet confirms Eden Golan’s televote advertising campaign was organised by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sykjyhaza
Should anyone be shocked or anything?
I was shocked the first time Karl told me, but by the 352th time the shock had worn off.
Have you ever seen a lawyer saying his client his guilty ?
Not while a case is pending. That would be a sure way to get disciplinary action against you by the regulatory agencies in their country. If they ever say it, it would not be until after a conviction and appeals.
Joost has made the UK Top 40, which given that he didn’t actually perform in the final is quite frankly incredible.
I’m so pleased for him, he deserves it for creating a track which has captured the hearts of so many people.
Nemo, Baby Lasagna and Joost all made top 40. Bravo for Eurovision artists, great platform for them. But EBU really sucked this year
No moonlanding, but his career has certainly taken off in the mainstream now.
He would say that though, wouldn’t he? Keep in mind that the other side will most likely have film of the moment in question. Would they have taken it this far if they couldn’t prove their point?
People should learn to respect boundaries.
They can’t go back now, can they? They have to stick by their opinion that this is an unpardonable offense, otherwise Joost will sue the hell out of them for damages. (he’ll probably do that anyway)
If the EBU allow a Dutch entry next year, in my opinion, it has to be Joost Klein
I’d love that. But he is going on an European tour next year, I fear those dates conflict with the preparation for Eurovision 2025.
How so? His last show is March 14. Also, glad to see most of his shows are now sold out or upgraded to bigger venues. If his case is being dropped and Avrotros is eager for revenge, I could see him coming back next year.
I would not blame him for turning down working with the EBU again.
I doubt he’d want that. I think AVROTROS should offer it, and I don’t think we’d care about quality too much then, but I don’t think he’ll take it. I would love to see a redemption, but if thats going to happen I think it’s going to be a few years later, with a song that has equal or more chance to win than Europapa. 2020 to 2021 shown us that favourites the previous year cannot magically produce the same the year after, so take time, the redemption story will work in Joost’s favour for a couple of years still,… Read more »
I agree
no, we need Chef’Special next year, much friendlier, more charismatic, down to earthed people
Only if he has another great song..
Scottie Scheffler. Never heard of him, but I’m told he is the number one golfer in the world. Just arrested. Mugshot flying all over the world. Still expected to make tee-off for Round One for some big championship tournament.
What gives?
Hahaha… Snap… I was thinking the same thing. Who on earth would ever want to be a police officer. We’re doomed… Bunker nearly complete 🙂
Can you give me a secret password or something in case I need take shelter? I don’t have the skills to make my own bunker. 🙁
Avada Kadabra… Bring pizza.
And… For speeding past an accident scene closed for safety, and assaulting a police officer… And he’s playing golf.
Originally he was arrested for disobeying police who had a road blocked to deal with a fatal accident. Now we learn that he is accused of assaulting the police officer during his disobeyance. He’s so very lucky he’s white and a pro athlete. Otherwise he’d likely be in the hospital if not dead.
True.
What gives is that his tournament isn’t sponsored by a Jizzraeli sponsor, and the organisers and the heads of his sport don’t show bias the way the EBU have towards Jizzrael.
At the end of most horror movies when the protagonist is dead (or is he)… And the heroine regains herself… What do you hear and see in the distance… Police sirens.
Seems like life imitating art at the ESC24 horror show. Great work EBU. Can’t wait for the sequel.
The best sequel would be your participation in Eurovision next year, if your country participates… and while trying to guess certain things I saw a dog! my visions which try to decipher the future allow me to say that good things will happen to you (and perhaps your dog too, if you have one)
If there’s an agreement made beforehand the cameraperson was wrong. She should’ve been fired instead of disqualification of Joost. It’s the world upside down. I hope at least there will be huge changes made in the EBU. This sole right of one person to make such big choices and broadcasters who can’t legally fight these decisions properly is everything but democratic. WE WANT CHANGE
She may or may not have been wrong (it could simply be a matter of miscommunication with her not informed about the agreement and just trying to do her job), but just because someone’s wrong doesn’t mean you can do anything you want to them. Whether Joost’s reaction was proportional or not is something for the prosecution and eventually the court to decide. As I said before, EBU didn’t want this, it’s the opposite of all their interests, so if they’ve done it anyway, they must have had a very strong reason.
I highly doubt that Joost reacted the “way he wanted” that’s why he apologized afterwards.
Seeing ao the EBU handled this whole mess, I wouldn’t be surprised if they forgot to tell her about the arrangements with the Dutch delegation.
Why should she be fired for doing her job? You people need to get such a grip on life it”s incredible. Not a sole person made any decision. Why don’t you people READ what is being put out there and instead make up so much stuff?!
Who ever said that the EBU was democratic? How could it be? I am shaking my head so much reading these comments, it starts to hurt, really….
A Dutch journalist got his hand on the full rules and regulations of the contest. They were very hard to come by and are not public. The rules say that the Executive Supervisor ALONE has the power to disqualify a country. And the disqualified country has no right to appeal any decisions. Don’t forget, this is Europe, not North Korea. So stop making excuses for the EBU.
The FIFA office is in Switzerland, the EBU Office is in Switzerland and the ESC 2025 is also in Switzerland!!! So lets say ESC2025 will be also corrupt is Israël join them and martin osterdahl is part of the EBU!!! #FREEESC2025 #FREEJOOSTKLEIN
Apart from the nonsense you uttered, Joost is walking freely as we write this … if this was done by other individual you would be screaming your a$$ for prosecution. get a life.
There is no reason why Israel shouldn’t be in Switzerland next year. KAN will not change its operation and all of a sudden become a propaganda outlet. Just because you discovered how much you want Eurovision to be ‘judenfrei’ doesn’t change a thing.
Also: Free Joost Klein? The man is walking free, you drama queens.
They broke contest rules. Specifically with Bambie’s claim, the EBU confirmed there was a breach of rules. There is also hard evidence (footage) of this. You can’t disqualify one country for breach of rules, and ignore another. That’s what we call double standards.
He didn’t touch her, only pushed the camera away after being ignored during a vulnerable moment. He was uncomfortable being filmed and had repeatedly asked not to be. What on earth could have happened to make her feel so threatened that the police needed to get involved? Maybe she was shocked due to past negative experiences and couldn’t handle talking things over, which Joost allegedly offered. But why call the police? Why didn’t the EBU find a solution for both? And why are we not hearing her side of the story? We need both perspectives to make a fair judgment.… Read more »
I doubt that she felt threatened. We know now that there were multiple occasions where she bothered Joost with unwanted filming. She has been warned for all of those occasions. So, to me it looks like this was personal to her.
What on earth could have happened? Well he could have said or shouted something at “the woman”. We all know how threatening that might be. Any why does she need to clear her name? No-one called the police on her.
The EBU have a very big problem.
DQ for Joost was a huge mistake to make.
But Joost takes all of Europe and maybe worldwide with Europapa!
#JusticeforJoost
Actually they do not have a problem. That’s all in your head.
Hahahahahha you’re delusional. Noboday talks about Nemo. Everything is about Joost and the shenanigans of the EBU. In every country they are discussing this on the daily news.
FEBU fietsen en brommers uitgezonderd
That should be the Dutch entry of 2025 haha
I see what you did there :’D
Was the camera “free-floating” in the air? or was it attached/held by a person?
it was a cell phone!
A person who doesn’t respect boundaries, who doesn’t understand consent, who couldn’t care less about image rights, and most importantly, a person who, by insisting in filming, was committing a crime herself, is a person that deserves to free-float in the air and fly away from the arena and never return.
Right you really have no idea how the law works! lol
Which law are you referring to? Isn’t it so that everyone country has it’s own laws? Do you know them all?
Actually I do when it comes to Europe! So not sorry…