Dutch Eurovision contestant Joost Klein has been expelled from the competition just hours ahead of the finals following a complaint against him by a female member of the production staff.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS alleged that he had made a threatening movement towards the camera after being filmed offstage without his consent. The organizers claimed that they are investigating the incident, and that it wouldn’t be right to allow Klein to participate until the investigation was complete.
Klein had been favored to win with ‘‘Europapa’’ by bookkeepers, and AVROTROS has denounced his disqualification as excessive.
He was also among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s participation in the competition.
Several parties called for Israel to be banned altogether from the competition due to the war in Gaza, or for other artists to boycott the contest. The competition organizers required Israel to change the name of its entry song from October Rains, claiming it was too political, and Palestinian Authority flags were waved during the Israeli performance in defiance of a ban on flags other than those of competing countries.
Despite this, Israeli contestant Eden Golan is now performing the renamed "Hurricane" on Saturday night, and enjoys favorable odds and projections around the world.