Sweden's prosecution authority announced on Monday that it had concluded an investigation into Dutch Eurovision participant Joost Klein, who was disqualified from the contest's final after an incident involving a camerawoman. A female member of the production team had lodged a police complaint against Joost, accusing him of making "threatening" gestures towards her following his performance on May 9 in the semi-finals. Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS stated that the incident occurred when Klein was filmed immediately after leaving the stage, contrary to previously agreed arrangements. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the event, excluded Joost from the competition just hours before the final on May 11, a decision that AVROTROS criticized as "not proportional" to the incident. The Swedish prosecutor declared the case closed due to insufficient evidence. "I have closed the investigation today because I cannot prove that the action was intended to provoke serious fear or that there was any such intent," senior prosecutor Fredrik Jonsson stated in a release. Switzerland's Nemo and the song The Code emerged as winners of the Eurovision Song Contest, marking the first victory for an artist identifying as non-binary, in a competition overshadowed by controversies surrounding Israel's participation during the conflict in Gaza.
Text: Lara Palmer
12.08.2024
Dutch Contestant Joost Klein Excluded from Final After Camerawoman Complaint