Dutch Eurovision contestant Joost Klein is under investigation and will not rehearse “until further notice” due to “incident.”

Dutch Eurovision 2024 contestant Joost Klein has been investigated by the competition organizers for an unexplained “incident”.

The singer was not allowed to perform his song “Europapa” at the final dress rehearsal on Friday (May 10) in Malmö, Sweden and it is currently unknown whether he will be able to perform at the grand finale on Saturday (May 11). .

The European Broadcasting Union said in a statement: “We are currently investigating an incident reported to us involving the Dutch artist.” He will not be rehearsing until further notice.

“We have no further comment at this time and will update in due course.”

Klein’s last public appearance was during the flag parade at the start of Friday’s rehearsal, but he failed to appear at his appearance about 30 minutes later.

Klein is scheduled to perform in the ceremony’s fifth spot, one spot ahead of Israel’s Eden Golan. Their song “Hurricane”, which has caused huge controversy, is now listed as the second favorite song to win the competition behind Croatia. Klein himself is one of the top ten contenders for the title.

Many have strongly opposed allowing Israel to take part in the 2024 edition of the singing competition given the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Golan was booed during the first dress rehearsal on Wednesday (May 8), and again a day later during the semi-final, this time with a mix of cheers.

Golan said she was “overcome with emotion” after officially qualifying for the final following a public vote, amid a day of protests in support of Gaza.

“It is truly a great honor to be here on stage and represent (Israel) with pride,” she continued. “I am so grateful to everyone who voted and participated in supporting us and me.”

Israel’s admission has been criticized by organizations such as Queers for Palestine as a “cultural cover and confirmation of the catastrophic violence that Israel has unleashed against Palestinians.” Queers for Palestine wrote an open letter to British contestant Olly Alexander to boycott the competition this year.

Recently, the European Broadcasting Union issued a statement warning of the “abuse and harassment” artists face as a result of their participation.

The EBU deputy director wrote that while the EBU “strongly” supports “freedom of speech and the right to expression in a democratic society,” “we strongly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech or harassment against our artists. “or persons associated with the competition.”

This comes after Eurovision Song Contest organizers recently confirmed that they reserve the right to remove Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian symbols during the competition.