Netherlands contestant got kicked out of Eurovision ahead of today’s big finale

Today marks the final day of the Eurovision Song Contest, with the countries of the world coming together for a bloody gladiatorial battle of who can make the weirdest song that people will still, somehow, vote for. But not one country: The Netherlands has been disqualified from the event, after the country’s representative in the contest, performer Joost Klein, became the subject of an allegation of “intimidation” from a female member of the show’s production crew.

Per the BBC, Joost was apparently unhappy with being filmed by a camera operator working at the show, ultimately leading to an altercation that led to her filing a report with Swedish police. That, in turn, led to the disqualification, with authorities with the contest saying that “it would not be appropriate” for Klein to be in the contest “while the legal process takes place.”

The Dutch, meanwhile, are not happy: Broadcaster Avrotros, which handles the Dutch side of the selection process for the contest, issued a very angry message on social media, calling the disqualification “disproportionate.” In a more full statement, they claim that “Against clearly made agreements, Joost was filmed when he had just gotten off stage and had to rush to the greenroom. At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This wasn’t respected. This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera. Joost did not touch the camerawoman.”

Either way, he’s out of a contest that has, in this year as in so many others, been forced to reckon with the realities of international conflict, even as it applies to musical contests: Protestors have been seen in frequent and large numbers around the concert venues, protesting the inclusion of Israel’s contestant, Eden Golan, in wake of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.