The Joost Klein Incident. The Dutch contestant, Joost Klein, has been disqualified by EBU, hours before Eurovision 2024's Grand Final, after Swedish police investigated 'backstage incident' in which the artist had allegedly made 'unlawful threats' against a female production team member. This last-minute disqualification is unprecedented in Eurovision's 68 year long history. And has occurred in the midst of the controversy surrounding Israel's participation in Eurovision after qualifying into Grand Final under the shadow of the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. Despite EBU statements that this incident did not involve any other artists or delegations, rumours have been speculating that this may be connected to Israel delegates. Joost Klein's entry, Europapa is one of the favourites to win the 2024 Contest and their sudden disqualification has caused outrage among fans, the Dutch delegation and other participating nations.
UPDATE: The Dutch broadcaster, AVROTROS has released statement explaining the incident between Joost Klein and a female camera operator. An agreement had been made prior to his Semi-Final 2 appearance to not film Joost Klein after his performance. This was not respected. After asking repeatedly to not film him, Joost Klein made 'threatening movement' towards the female camera operator but did not touch her. This then led to EBU disqualifying him. AVROTROS finds the penalty very heavy and disproportionate. The investigation is still ongoing.