This article forms part of the OnEurope archive and was originally published on oneurope.co.uk. It has been permanently migrated to oneurope.net, the official home of OnEurope.
Archive update: This article records the position on 13 May 2024. Joost Klein was ultimately not charged: Swedish prosecutors closed the investigation on 12 August 2024, saying they could not prove that his actions were capable of causing serious fear or that he intended to threaten the production worker. That later decision did not automatically reverse the EBU’s separate disciplinary decision to disqualify him.
Swedish police have released a statement regarding the Dutch entrant at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Joost Klein will likely be charged with making illegal threats.
Police said their investigation into the incident was complete and that the case would be passed to a prosecutor. Emil Andersson, the police officer in charge of the case, told Swedish broadcaster SVT that a prosecution was likely, although the suspected offence was considered relatively minor and might be dealt with through an accelerated process. A decision was expected within a few weeks.
Klein was being investigated under Swedish law for olaga hot — unlawful threat — rather than assault. The question was whether his conduct could have caused serious fear for the safety of the female Eurovision production worker or for her property. At the time of publication, no charge had actually been filed.
No physical contact
The incident took place after Klein performed in the second semi-final on Thursday 9 May in Malmö. The EBU said that a female member of the production crew had made a complaint. Klein was suspended and then disqualified from the Eurovision final on Saturday 11 May, with the EBU saying that it would not be appropriate for him to participate while the legal process was ongoing.
AVROTROS’s account was that Klein had repeatedly asked not to be filmed after leaving the stage, despite what it described as clear prior agreements. The Dutch broadcaster said he made a threatening movement towards the camera but did not touch the camera operator, and called the EBU’s disqualification disproportionate.
Various sources claimed to ‘know’ that damage was caused to a camera, but that was not established by the information available at the time. The EBU and AVROTROS both insisted there was no physical contact. The EBU has since updated its statement and entered into what reads like a war of words with the broadcaster, stating: “AVROTROS’ version of events does not correspond with the statements shared with us and with Police. But, as this is now subject to legal proceedings, we can’t comment further at this stage.”
So, at this point, we have competing accounts rather than a settled description of what happened. Claims that Klein struck the photographer, assaulted her or deliberately damaged the camera should not be presented as established fact.
Rules are rules
Despite the apology, Swedish police said the suspected offence was unlawful threat, a criminal matter which could normally result in a fine upon conviction. Andersson told SVT that, although there were multiple versions of events to consider, the crime was not viewed as serious and the case might therefore be concluded quickly.
Klein had already left Sweden, according to reports. The investigation would eventually be closed without charges — but that was not known when this article was first published, and it did not automatically undo the EBU’s separate decision to remove him from the Eurovision final.
