Dutch Representative Expelled from Final Stage of Eurovision

As the final stage or finale of Eurovision is set to take place on Saturday evening, May 11, in Malmö, Sweden, the Dutch representative, Joost Klein, who was a contender for the championship title, has been unexpectedly expelled from the competition. According to the European Broadcasting Union, the main organizer of this artistic event, Joost Klein was expelled due to an incident that occurred backstage. The union stated without providing details that the Swedish police are investigating a 'complaint from a female staff member' against Joost Klein, and under such circumstances, his participation in the final is inappropriate. Joost Klein was absent from two rehearsal stages on Friday, May 10, which led to various rumors about this Dutch singer. Some media outlets reported that the incident was related to the Israeli group present at Eurovision, but according to the organizers, this matter does not concern any other participant or group. The Dutch broadcaster of Eurovision, which finances and broadcasts this singing competition like public media in other European countries, expressed regret over the expulsion of its representative. The broadcaster mentioned that it was shocked by such a decision just a few hours before the final and stated that it would seriously pursue the matter in the future. The final of Eurovision is set to take place in Malmö on Saturday evening, where it is expected that the city will witness anti-Israeli protests for the second time. Eden Golan, a young Israeli singer, is also participating in the Eurovision final, which has led Palestinian supporters to hold protests in Malmö. Mahan Moein, an Iranian-Swedish singer who has experience participating in Sweden's Eurovision competition in 2014, told Voice of America that holding this artistic competition in Malmö is a very important event for Sweden. He pointed out this year's controversies and the protesters' demands for Israel's expulsion from Eurovision, stating that in some cases, the organizers made decisions related to politics, such as expelling Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. According to Mahan Moein, although the case of Russia cannot be compared to Israel, from the perspective of Palestinian supporters, the Israeli representative should be expelled from Eurovision like Russia. He noted that Israel agreed to change the lyrics and title of its representative's song to avoid political tension; otherwise, the Israeli representative would have certainly been sidelined from Eurovision. This Iranian-Swedish artist expressed hope for an exciting final, emphasizing that ultimately, music is a factor for creating peace, friendship, and solidarity, and other issues do not matter. The Eurovision final will feature singers from 25 countries and is expected to have around 180 million viewers worldwide. The 68th European singing competition will be broadcast by the national televisions of participating countries and the Eurovision YouTube channel, and in the U.S. through the streaming service Peacock. Non-European viewers can also vote for their favorite artists online or via the Eurovision app.