Dutch Joost Klein did not show up for the dress rehearsal in Eurovision

MALMÖ (Dagbladet): 20:30 Friday the message comes that Joost Klein will not participate in the evening’s dress rehearsals.

A dress rehearsal will be held on Friday at 9 p.m., which will form the basis for the jury votes. It is considered very important, since the jury votes account for 50 percent of the result.

Accused of violence: Does not participate

As the Netherlands will not be present during these tests, the jury points will be decided on another performance. This is confirmed by the EBU.

On Friday evening, Klein was confronted by the Swedish Aftonblandet with questions about what has happened and what he has done. The artist, however, refused to answer the questions from the newspaper.

– Have a nice day, is all the artist says as he rushes into the lift at the participant’s hotel in Malmö.

– Not out yet

The investigation into the incident with the Dutch artist in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is still ongoing.

Discussions are also ongoing between the EBU and AVROTROS, the Dutch broadcaster.

While the investigation continues, the EBU has decided that Joost Klein will not perform during dress rehearsal two of the competition.

Morten Thomasen, president of the MGP club, believes it is not necessarily bad news.

– He’s not out yet, that’s clear. He can participate with a recording from the semi-final. He had a great performance in the semi-final, so in that sense, I think it will go well. I don’t think he’s hurt by it. And I guess the jury will be asked to disregard that, he tells Dagbladet.

Strikes back: – What an honor

The police: – No messages

At 18.45, Dagbladet has been in contact with the Swedish police in the South region, who say that they have not received any reports that the Dutch artist has beaten anyone.

– It is not yet known to the police, but we do not rule out that we may receive a report about it, says police spokesperson Richard Lundquist.

He says that the police are not working actively to get to the bottom of what may have happened, and hopes that those involved in any incident will get in touch.

Left from the Netherlands to cheer: – Confused

Vincent Koerse and his daughter Devi Koerse have traveled from the Netherlands to Malmö to cheer on the country’s great hope. They talk about charging for the competition on Thursday evening, but that they are now confused.

– We celebrated yesterday. What happened yesterday is just confusing, says Vincent to Dagbladet’s reporter.

The lack of news about what actually has happened makes it even more confusing, one’s father and daughter about. Tomorrow they will watch the rehearsals before the big show, and hope to see Klein on stage.

– I can’t believe it, if they remove a participant between the semi-finals and the final, says Vincent, and shakes his head.

– We are not ready to accept it, but we will just have to wait and see.

Websites down

The Netherlands’ Joost Klein did not show up for the Eurovision dress rehearsal on Friday. The EBU is investigating an incident linked to the Netherlands’ Eurovision entry, which is currently not taking part in rehearsals.

On Friday evening, Joost Klein still hasn’t been seen, around five hours after he didn’t show up for the dress rehearsal. Nor has Eurovision general Martin Østerdahl, and at around 19.00 this evening Eurovision’s official website also went down.

Klein was supposed to perform as number five, before Israel, but did not appear.

However, he was present earlier in the dress rehearsal, when the artists were presented. All the props for the Netherlands’ contribution should also have been wheeled onto the stage, without the contestant appearing.

The Dutch press told Dagbladet’s correspondent that they currently do not know anything more, but that they are working hard to find out what has happened.

AvroTros, responsible for the Dutch delegation, has also commented on the incident:

“An investigation has indeed been launched by the EBU following an incident. We await the outcome of this investigation and do not want to say anything about it until then.”

Several media outlets have covered the case, and SVT reports on Friday that Klein is said to have been in a physical confrontation with a photographer.

According to Aftonbladet’s sources, it is supposed to be a female employee in the Eurovision production.

– If it is true, which we do not know, then it is very serious, says Eurovision expert in Aftonbladet, Tobbe Ek, to Dagbladet.

Ek further says that he cannot remember that a participant has been refused to go on stage before.

President of the Norwegian Grand Prix club, Morten Thomassen, says he has heard that heated meetings take place in the back room.

– Then the question is whether more delegations think that what has happened to the Netherlands could also happen to them, and whether they do something in sympathy for the Netherlands, regardless of what happened – whether it was provoked or on their own, says President Morten Thomassen in The Norwegian Grand Prix club for Dagbladet.

– I am afraid that there will be an extremely bad atmosphere. We have not seen the end of this scandal, three hours before the jury final. I’m excited to see who shows up, he adds.

– Removed Eurovision track

Dagbladet’s reporters in Malmö say that there was clearly a tense atmosphere when Israel spoke during the press conference after yesterday’s semi-final.

Klein hid under the Dutch flag and took jabs at Israel when they would not answer a critical question. Then he emerged from the flag and burst out “WHY NOT?”.

The Dutch media Telegraaf writes that the artist has apparently removed several Eurovision tracks on his Instagram account.

“It is striking that Klein has stopped following Eurovision on Instagram since Friday afternoon. The singer has also deleted all his Stories about the Eurovision Song Contest from Thursday evening”.