Swedish police are investigating a charge filed against the Netherlands' Eurovision candidate Joost Klein for an "incident" involving "unlawful threats" to a Song Contest employee, police confirmed to Flemish media on Saturday.
The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday night at the Malmö Arena, where the Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday evening. An employee of the Song Contest lodged the complaint.
Police questioned Klein, the complainant and several witnesses. The investigation was referred to the Prosecutor's Office. It is currently still unclear if Klein will perform during the final on Saturday.
"The investigation itself is complete as far as we are concerned. We have used an accelerated prosecution in this case, which has now been handed over to the prosecutor," said police spokesperson Pelle Vamstad.
Voting postponed
Due to the incident and the ongoing investigation, voting for the Eurovision Song Contest by residents of countries not participating in the song contest – which should have started at midnight last night – has been postponed.
"Voting for the 'rest of the world' has been postponed until an ongoing investigation surrounding the Dutch candidate is completed. Apologies for the inconvenience," the Eurovision app stated.
For the first time since this year, the ballot boxes for the "rest of the world" would be open all day on the day of the final. European viewers can vote from the start of the broadcast on Saturday night. It was announced on Friday that Klein was under investigation, which meant he could not take part in rehearsals for the final on Friday.
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On Thursday evening, Klein also drew worldwide attention during a press conference after the semi-final in which he placed himself for the final on Saturday, when he briefly intervened during a question to the Israeli candidate Eden Golan.
The Israeli singer was asked a question about the situation in Israel and Gaza at the moment. A Eurovision Song Contest employee supervising the interview told Golan that she did not have to answer the question, to which Klein intervened and wondered aloud "Why not?"
Israel's participation in the Song Contest is causing a lot of controversy. There were protests throughout the day from pro-Palestinian movements marching through Malmö. Flags also popped up at the Arena itself just before the show.
Update: The EBU issued a statement confirming Klein's disqualification from the competition. More information here.
