Sweden closes investigation into Dutch Eurovision contestant Joost Klein

The investigation into Dutch Eurovision contestant Joost Klein has been closed, according to a statement by the Swedish Prosecution Authority.

Klein was excluded from the final of the Eurovision song contest on May 9, following an incident with a female member of the production crew.

The crew member filed a complaint against Klein following his performance at the semi-finals in Malmö, saying he made threatening moves toward her and her camera.

In a statement, Swedish prosecutor Fredrik Jönsson said that Klein had made a movement that hit the woman’s camera, and that the interaction was fast and “perceived differently by the witnesses of the incident.”

“Today I have closed the investigation because I cannot prove that the act was capable of causing serious fear or that the man had any such intention" he said.

Klein was disqualified from the finals by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in the hours leading up to the contest, a move that Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS criticised.

In a statement published at the time of the incident, AVROTROS said an agreement that Klein would not be filmed as he came offstage was breached.

“At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This was not respected” they said.

The broadcaster said they had consulted with the EBU and found the decision to exclude Klein to be “very heavy and disproportionate."

Statement AVROTROS #europapa #eurovision #eurovision2024 pic.twitter.com/XunuOe4jU6

— Songfestival (@songfestival) May 11, 2024

Swiss artist Nemo won the contest with their song 'The Code', in a contest that was otherwise marked by controversy over Israel’s participation, in the midst of their ongoing bombing campaign in Gaza, with large protests taking place outside the venue.