The Netherlands’ contestant for the Eurovision Song Contest will likely be charged for making illegal threats, Swedish police said on Monday.
Joost Klein was dramatically expelled from the competition hours before the grand final last week.
He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday and the organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said that police were investigating a complaint by “a female member of the production crew” at the competition in the Swedish city of Malmo.
The EBU released a statement saying: “while the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the contest”.
According to Avrotos, Klein “repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed”, which “led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera”.
They said: “Joost did not touch the camera woman.”
Police spokesperson Jimmy Modin told The Associated Press their investigation into the incident was over and that a decision on the charges should come “within a few weeks”.
He did not elaborate on the nature of the threats that the Dutch performer is accused of making.
Klein has already left Sweden, according to reports.
Details of what happened backstage are unclear at this point.
The tabloid Aftonbladet said, citing an unnamed source, that Klein at one point became stressed by all the photographers and asked them to stop filming. When one photographer got close, he raised his arm with a fist and lunged at the photographer, the paper said.
The Sydsvenska daily, a Malmo newspaper, said that the crime of making threats usually leads to fines upon conviction.
“We expect there will probably be a prosecution,” Emil Andersson, the police officer in charge of the case, told Swedish broadcaster SVT.
He also said that a legal process of “accelerated prosecution” will likely be involved as the altercation did not involve a more serious crime.
The average time for an investigation in cases of accelerated prosecution is six to eight weeks.
The last-minute disqualification was unprecedented in the 68-year history of Eurovision.
The 26-year-old Dutch singer and rapper had been a bookies’ favorite, as well as a fan favorite, with his song “Europapa”, an upbeat Euro-techno ode to the continents diversity that is also a tribute to Klein’s parents, who died when he was a child.
Outside the Malmo Arena in Sweden, where this year’s event was held, pro-Palestine activists were filmed chanting “shame on you” to fans as they entered the venue to watch the final take place. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was filmed being removed from the area by Swedish police, after joining the stop Israel march while wearing a Keffiyeh scarf.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
