A person claiming to work for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) alleged harassment from the Israeli team during the semi-finals and the final of the Eurovision, which led to Netherlands’ Joost Klein's disqualification last week.
The EBU worker, who said they worked throughout the events in Malmö, Sweden, explained in two lengthy videos, which were featured on a TikTok page, that the public didn’t know half of what had unfolded backstage in what is now believed to be one of the most controversial Eurovision contests.
Highlights
- An EBU worker alleged backstage harassment by the Israeli team led to Netherlands' disqualification from Eurovision.
- The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification of Joost Klein "disproportionate" and expressed disbelief.
- Security at Eurovision was notably tightened, with over 1,000 police officers deployed amid controversy over Israel's participation.
- Israeli team's behavior was likened to "high school mean girls," targeting competitors calling for a ceasefire.
The allegations made by the employee followed the highly disputed disqualification of Joost Klein, who represented the Netherlands, from the Eurovision final.
Avrotros, the Dutch broadcaster, released a statement on May 11, the day of the final, saying it found the disqualification “disproportionate” and was “shocked by the decision.”
It stated that an incident occurred during the semi-finals on Thursday, May 9, explaining: “Against clearly made agreements, Joost was filmed when he had just gotten off stage and had to rush to the green room.”
The green room is a lounge space where artists and other delegations can relax when not performing on stage.
A Eurovision worker alleged harassment by the Israeli team during the semi-finals and final, leading to Joost Klein's disqualification
Image credits: goviraluk
The Dutch broadcaster continued: “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 camera woman.
“This incident was reported, followed by an investigation by the EBU and police.”
After consulting with the EBU, Avrotros announced that the union, Eurovision’s organizer, decided to disqualify the 26-year-old singer who performed Europapa, which broke the record for the most-streamed song in a single day on Spotify in the Netherlands.
“We are very disappointed and upset for the millions of fans who were so excited for tonight,” the broadcaster wrote. “What Joost brought to the Netherlands and Europe shouldn’t have ended this way.”
In two viral TikTok videos, the worker explained that the public didn’t know half of what unfolded backstage
The broadcaster has since announced it will no longer be part of the Eurovision Song Contest.
In part one of their statement, the EBU staffer, who had signed an NDA and, therefore, took precautions to remain anonymous, claimed that as a result of this year’s Eurovision backlash fueled by Israel’s highly protested participation, in addition to the EBU’s polemical stands, “there is a strong chance several broadcasters are going to pull out next year.”
They went on to explain that Israel’s team targeted the competitors who had signed a letter calling for a ceasefire.
The letter, which acknowledged the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly in Gaza, read, “We do not feel comfortable being silent.”
It was signed by Ireland’s Bambie Thug, Norway’s Gåte, Portugal’s Iolanda, San Marino’s Megara, Switzerland’s Nemo, The UK’s Olly Alexander, Denmark’s Saba, Lithuania’s Silvester Belt, and Finland’s Windows95Man.
Amid the ongoing genocide in Palestine, the EBU has faced mounting criticism this year for permitting Israel's participation in Eurovision.
Speculation has suggested that the EBU's decision to retain Israel as a participant despite public outcry may have been influenced by the sponsorship of the Israeli brand Moroccanoil.
“In the final, the tension was already really high because, with all the protests and the pressure on the artists to pull out and things like that, various threats, the security was much higher,” the EBU employee said.
Avrotros, the Dutch broadcaster, found the disqualification "disproportionate," and it was "shocked by the decision"
As per Norwegian news outlet VG, over 1,000 police officers were employed as security in Malmö as a result of heightened security likely linked to Israel’s participation and the 30,000 pro-Palestinian protestors who showed up in front of the arena.
Security at the event was reportedly unprecedented, involving over 1,000 police officers, including assistance from Norwegian and Danish forces.
Additionally, helicopters, armored cars, police boats, and bomb-sniffing dogs were deployed.
Access to the arena resembled airport security checks, with armed police equipped with "reinforcement weapons," typically reserved for special circumstances.
Snipers were stationed on rooftops, and strict border controls were enforced between Sweden and Denmark.
“Multiple artists and delegations had already made it clear to the EBU before they got there that they wouldn't be doing any cross-promotion with the Israeli team or making content together,” the EBU staffer explained.
They explained that contestants weren’t willing to jeopardize their reputation by making TikTok dances with Israel’s performer, Eden Golan, or other promotional content with representatives of a country they strongly disagreed with.
The EBU worker subsequently described Israel's team behaving antagonistically toward broadcasters and artists critical of Israel or calling for a ceasefire, calling them “high school mean girls.”
An incident occurred during the semi-finals when Joost was filmed against his wishes
Image credits: Eurovision Song Contest
“The Israeli team started behaving really petty about it and trying to get a reaction out of people or catch them out,” the person said, adding: “It honestly reminded me of those high school mean girls you see in films that turn on anyone who doesn't like them.”
The staffer acknowledged that many participants refused to be filmed with the Israeli team, who in turn kept the cameras on them.
They said: “[The Israeli team members] were trying to film people all the time when they've been explicitly told no one wants to be filmed,” also noting: “Certain artists work in character or in costume.”
The EBU worker alleged that an individual from Israel approached a woman accompanying the Icelandic team as they traversed the venue, filming her and inquiring about their potential withdrawal from Eurovision due to Israel's participation.
This occurred amid petitions to the Icelandic broadcaster from its citizens urging withdrawal if Israel remained in the contest.
Image credits: Getty/Martin Sylvest Andersen
Stefán Eiríksson, general director of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV), stated on Rás 2 that contestants applying for the national singing competition expressed understandable concerns about the situation and referred to the situation in Gaza, The Reykavík Grapevine reported back in January.
“They [the contestants] apply with the goal of contributing to Iceland’s representation in Eurovision. They share concerns about the situation, just like us. This has been our preparation for Eurovision, and we have publicly stated that we plan to participate in Eurovision without any changes, but we don’t know what the future holds,” Stefán said at the time.
Despite Iceland's eventual decision to participate, the Israeli team member persisted in questioning the woman, mistaking her for a broadcaster representative until she clarified her unrelated role at the venue, the EBU staffer said.
Despite protests, the EBU decided to disqualify Joost, who performed Europapa
Image credits: Getty/Jens Büttner
They said: “People became very aware of it, and then certain broadcasters started kinda comparing, like, ‘something similar happened with us,’ or noticing the wrong things.”
The incident led to numerous complaints being lodged with the EBU from multiple countries and delegations, purportedly resulting in disregard by the organization.
“The EBU weren't really paying attention because it kept happening,” the whistleblower claimed.
They alleged that Israel made Bambie Thug, who represented Ireland and was among the most vocal pro-Palestine artists in the competition, a target, in addition to the contestants who befriended Bambie, such as Eurovision winner Nemo, Greece’s Marina Satti, and Portugal’s Iolanda.
Image credits: Eurovision Song Contest
“They'd use any opportunity possible to film them,” the anonymous staffer said. “If they were stood next to them in a corridor, they'd secretly film them, they'd make comments.”
Bambie, who came sixth in the contest, did not take part in the competition’s dress rehearsal before the final due to a “situation” backstage, the Irish Independent reported on Sunday (May 12).
The non-binary advocate accused the song contest organizers of not supporting them over a row with Israel.
Bambie claimed the Israeli broadcaster KAN had disobeyed the rules of the contest, and this had been brought to the EBU’s attention.
The disqualification sparked widespread anger among participants and fans
Image credits: Eurovision Song Contest
“So now that I am free I can talk about everything, right? KAN, the broadcaster, incited violence against me twice, three times,” Bambie said after the final.
They further exclaimed: “We brought it up to the EBU, they said they’d follow up.
“They waited until the last minute, we still haven’t got a statement back.
“[The EBU] allowed us to be scapegoats, allowed us to be the spokesperson for standing up for ourselves. That broadcaster has disobeyed the rules and I hope next year they won’t be allowed to compete because of that.”
The anonymous staffer also cited problems with the Belgian broadcasters, with Israelis secretly filming journalists from their delegations.
Belgium's VRT television interrupted the Eurovision contest to protest Israel's attacks on Gaza, Anadolu Agency reported.
"We condemn human rights violations," it stated on X (formerly known as Twitter).
VRT television also reportedly interrupted the second semifinal of Eurovision to protest Israel's attacks in Gaza.
Security at the event was heightened, with over 1,000 police officers deployed
The secret insider said things took a turn for the worse at the second semi-final during a press conference that has since gone viral.
Clips circulating on social media showed contestants silently protesting Israel’s presence at the press conference, with Marina Satti pretending to fall asleep when the Israeli delegation spoke.
Most notably, a journalist asked Eden: “Have you ever thought that by being here you bring a risk for other participants and the public?” to which the Israeli delegation’s spokesperson replied in place of the singer: “You don’t have to answer that question if you don’t want to.”
As a result, Marina and Joost became targets for more harassment from the Israeli delegation, the EBU source alleged.
They said: “Everyone had just had enough of Israel's antics at this point, and it wasn't even necessarily about their position on the Israel-Palestine situation.
“It was more just that they were behaving so unprofessional[ly] and provoking other teams.”
They added: “No one wanted anything to do with them, to be honest, because they were just behaving so disrespectfully.”
Many contestants refused to be filmed with the Israeli team due to disagreements, including Joost
Image credits: Eurovision Song Contest
The employee explained that Joost was among the handful of competitors who explicitly stated that they did not consent to be filmed backstage, a demand that was respected by all other delegations, with the exception of Israel.
Multiple videos shared on social media supported this claim, including a clip of Israel Media provoking the Dutch delegation after Joost didn’t appear in the contest’s rehearsal.
Leading up to Joost’s disqualification, the insider said that a woman working as a camera operator followed the Dutch singer inside the green room and proceeded to film him without his consent.
“He asked her to stop and she doesn't, so he keeps saying it and she doesn't stop,” they said. “So he snapped at her, I wanna make it really clear, he absolutely did not touch her.”
In part two of their testimony, the EBU worker continued: “He steps towards her and cause he was moving, cause he was walking towards the green room and he stopped in his tracks, turned towards her and took a step forward.
“I don't know exactly what was said, so don't quote me, I wasn't there, but from what I've heard it was something along the lines of stop ‘f*****g filming me,’ and [he] threatened to smash the camera.”
The staffer said that Joost’s frustration was denounced to the police by the Israeli delegation, and it got him disqualified from Eurovision’s final.
The EBU defended the disqualification, citing alleged threats made by Joost
Image credits: Eurovision Song Contest
The Dutch artist will probably be charged with making illegal threats, Swedish police said, The Guardian reported on Tuesday (May 14).
“I think she overreacted, but I think [. . .] the EBU overreacted more,” the insider said.
Word about the disqualification quickly spread, sparking anger due to the Israeli team's alleged harassment and intimidation throughout the week, with the EBU seemingly taking no action, the EBU worker said.
People involved in Eurovision were shocked by the situation, with some artists considering last-minute withdrawals. However, contractual obligations prevented them from doing so.
Chaos continued to unveil backstage before the final. French contestant Slimane broke protocol during the final dress rehearsal by interrupting his song to make an impassioned speech, saying: "Everybody, I just need to say something.
"Every artist here want[s] to sing about love and sing about peace. We need to be united by music, yes, but with love for peace.
"United by music, yes, but with love for peace," he repeated. "Thank you so much. Thank you, Europe."
And last year’s Eurovision winner, Loreen, from Sweden, reportedly said she would refuse to hand over her trophy to Eden if Israel won the competition.
The incident highlighted tensions and controversies surrounding Israel's participation in Eurovision
Image credits: Getty/Jens Büttner
“That's when Bambie and a few of the others pretty much were like, ‘Okay, look, if we're going to do this, we need to put on the best show we can, because we cannot let Israel win,’” the insider explained.
“Everyone was sick of them,” they added. “To say that people are happy that Switzerland won is an understatement.”
On Monday (May 13), the EBU said in an official statement that Joost had been disqualified following “threatening behavior directed at a female member of the production crew.”
It further stated: “Joost’s behaviour was in clear breach of Contest rules which are designed to ensure there is a safe working environment for all staff and to protect the production.
“We are not pre-judging the legal process but, given the circumstances of what occurred and the fact that the police case will shortly be handed to the prosecutor, it would not have been appropriate for Joost to participate in the Grand Final.
“The decision to exclude him was backed by the Contest’s governing body of Members - the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group - and unanimously supported by the EBU Executive Board, following a thorough internal investigation.”
The union affirmed that the public comments and social media posts regarding the events differed from the statements provided by staff and witnesses to both them and the Swedish Police.
Bored Panda has contacted the EBU, as well as the artists and artists’ representatives cited in the story, for comment.
"Israel gives nepo baby vibes," a person commented on social media
