Eurovision contestant disqualified after police investigate ‘incident’ involving production team

The Dutch entrant in Europe’s popular Eurovision Song Contest has been disqualified after an “incident” occurred with a female member of the production team, the European Broadcast Union announced on Saturday.

The competition’s grand finale, scheduled for Saturday in Malmö, Sweden, now continues with 25 songs taking part.

According to the EBU, Swedish police are investigating a complaint lodged by a female member of the production team against Dutch contestant, 26-year-old Joost Klein.

“While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the competition,” the EBU said.

The EBU noted that no other artist or delegation member was involved in the alleged incident.

“We have a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior at our event and are committed to providing a safe working environment for all competition staff. Against this background, Joost Klein’s behavior towards a team member is considered a breach of the competition rules,” the EBU said.

The disqualification comes amid ongoing controversy over Israel’s participation in the competition. Many are calling for 20-year-old Eden Golan to be banned from the competition because of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Golan is scheduled to perform on Saturday. Thousands protested against their participation in the competition earlier this month.