The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) suspended rehearsals for the Eurovision final in the Netherlands this Friday due to an “incident” in which its representative, Joost Klein, is involved, which is being investigated. “We are currently investigating an incident reported to us involving the Dutch artist. He will not rehearse until further notice. We have no further comments at this time and we will update information in due course,” reads the brief statement sent by the EBU on Friday afternoon.
Joost Klein, who presents the song Europapa, and who until the night of the second semi-final on Thursday was among the quintet of favorites for the first places (now no longer), was present at the beginning of the first dress rehearsal of the grand final on Saturday . The journalists who were at the Malmö Arena during the rehearsal were able to see him rehearse the initial parade of all the participants.
However, when his time to rehearse arrived a half hour later (he was fifth, just before Israel, according to the order of performance planned for the final), Klein did not go on stage, and Eden Golan performed his performance. Once the entire general rehearsal was over, the EBU’s statement arrived to the accredited press in this 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Joost Klein had starred in a tense moment with Eden Golan on Thursday night when, after the second semi-final, the ten qualified countries held a joint press conference. A Polish journalist asked the Israeli representative if she felt responsible because her presence in Malmö has raised the terrorist alert level in the city to the maximum. The moderator of the press conference told Golan that, if he did not want to, he did not have to answer that question.
“Why not?” Joost Klein then intervened loudly, who had a partially visible flag on the table. It had a red stripe, so it could be the Dutch flag.
The Israeli singer responded to the Polish journalist’s question: “I think we are all here for one reason, and one reason only. And the EBU is taking all safety precautions to make this a safe and united place for everyone. So I think it’s safe for everyone, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.” After qualifying in the second semifinal, Israel has become the second country with the best chance of winning the festival, according to betting houses, with Croatia and its representative, Bby Lasagna, as the first favorite.
This edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is marked by the controversial participation of Israel, rejected by some and defended by others, in the full and bloody military offensive in Gaza, which has so far caused the death of almost 35,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Eden Golan received both boos and applause in the second semifinal and in the previous rehearsal, which included an audience that paid for her entry. At the dress rehearsal this Friday we were only journalists.
