Joost Klein says he is “standing tall” after Eurovision disqualification

nme.com:

was disqualified from the contest in Malmö, Sweden just hours before Saturday’s finale (May 11). At the time, police stated that the decision was made after he was accused of making verbal threats towards a female member of the production crew.The incident marked the first time that an act had been disqualified after reaching the Grand Final in the competition’s 68-year history and, before his disqualification, the 26-year-old singer was named as one of the favourites to win.Jimmy Modin, a spokesperson for the police, spoke to The Guardian about the incident and revealed that it was looking likely that Klein will face legal action.Now, a week after his disqualification, the singer performed at Freshtival in Enschede, telling the crowd “My name is Klein (short) but I’m standing tall,” referring to the Eurovision incident (per Dutchnews).A post shared by Joost Klein (@joostklein)Modin confirmed that the investigation was over, and a decision about whether or not to press charges should arrive “within the next couple of weeks”.After news of his disqualification, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said it was “shocked” by the decision, and stated that while Klein made a “threatening move” towards a female camera operator, he had not touched her (via The Guardian).“Against the clearly made agreement, Joost was filmed when he had just gotten off stage and had to rush to the green room.

At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This wasn’t respected,” Avrotros added.Klein has not since commented publicly on the incident.News that he had been withdrawn from the song contest came via an update by the EBU.