What contact did the Vikings have with the Sámi?

 

 

 

Cooperation and respect

The contact between the Vikings and the Sámi during the Viking Age was intensive and characterized by a high degree of reciprocity, social acceptance, and close cooperation, especially in central Scandinavia.

The two peoples lived in a kind of symbiosis where they shared the land, although the Sámi were not always regarded as equals by the Norse.

The contacts can be divided into three main areas:

1. Economy, trade, and specialized craftsmanship

The Sámi acted as specialists within the Nordic economic system.

They were skilled hunters and gatherers who supplied the Vikings with exclusive and highly sought-after luxury goods such as furs (marten, fox, beaver, and bear), walrus tusks, hunting falcons, feathers, and ship ropes made from seal and walrus hide. These raw materials were often purchased or collected as tax (tribute) by Nordic chieftains, and then sold on by the Vikings in international markets, as far as Constantinople and Baghdad. The Sámi were also known as specialists in tanning hides, building boats, forging iron, and making skis for the Nordic peoples.

 

2. Marriage and social alliances

There were close contacts at a high social level, and elites from both groups often exchanged marriage partners. This is confirmed by both archaeological grave finds and written sources. A well-known example from the Old Norse sagas is that the Norwegian king Harald Fairhair married the Sámi woman Snæfríðr, daughter of the Sámi king Svási. Sámi women could thus marry into and be accepted into the very highest levels of Norse society.

3. Religion and magic

The Norse had great respect for the Sámi’s spiritual and magical abilities. The Sámi often served as healers, advisors, and masters of magic. The two cultures shared several fundamental religious concepts, especially the form of sorcery and shamanism known in Old Norse as seiðr. This magical practice is believed to have developed in harmony with Sámi religion as part of a shared Nordic spiritual heritage. Respect for and belief in Sámi magic was so strong that the earliest Christian laws in Norway explicitly forbade Christians from traveling to Sámi territories to seek prophecies or healing.*1

In summary, the Sámi were not just a peripheral group, but a strongly integrated and very important part of the Viking Age’s economy, culture, and religious life.

Gunnar Östberg
Published on Quora, 26 april 2026 (translated from Norwegian by ChatGPT).

The two aquarelles were made by Johannes Flintoe (1787-1870). 

  

Sámi magic drums (Jan Luyken, 1682).

 

*1 Visit also my post about Eivør Pálsdóttir, titled Trøllabundin (HD).

  

For varmt for Cold Response 26

  

 

Ikke så mye tele og snø

Nato-øvelsen Cold Response skjer i en utenrikspolitisk opphetet verden, med krig både i Ukraina og Midtøsten.*1 Den skjer også i et forholdsvis varmt nordnorsk jordsmonn.

Tidlig snø i nord har gjort at kalde værperioder ikke har kommet særlig langt ned i jorda. Nå varsler Forsvaret om at kombinasjonen av lite tele og tungt militært utstyr kan gi store skader på dyrket mark.

 

– Vi er avhengig av tilstrekkelig tele og nok snø for å redusere skadeomfanget, men dessverre er det ikke så mye tele i øvelsesområdet i år som i fjor, sier miljøvernoffiser ved Forsvarets operative hovedkvarter (FOH), Marianne Rygh Bø.

– Vi er veldig klar over skadene kjøring på jorder kan medføre, så vi søker å få avdelingene til ikke å kjøre der. Men må avdelingene likevel krysse jorder, oppfordrer vi dem til å kjøre i ytterkant eller i færre spor, sier Rygh Bø.

I et land med bare tre prosent matjord må det være en høy terskel for å legge potensielt ødeleggende trafikk nettopp hit.

Om lag 25.000 norske og allierte soldater trener på forsvaret av Norge. Ett av målene ved årets øvelse å øve på samspill mellom sivile og militære. Det er en god anledning til å inkludere lokale landbrukskontorer i øvelsen.

Kjørespor og ødelagt grasdekke er lette å oppdage. Skader nede i matjorda, for eksempel skadde eller tette dreneringsrør, viser seg først over tid. Det gjelder å melde fra så tidlig som mulig når skade er oppdaget eller mistenkt.

 

 

Også reindriften påvirkes når soldater beveger seg i reinbeiteområder. Reineieren Ole Nils Aslak Baal fikk et våpen rettet mot seg da han oppsøkte en norsk avdeling ved Helligskogen forrige søndag. Baal ville informere om at en reinflokk beitet like i nærheten.

– Det var en veldig ubehagelig opplevelse, sier Baal til avisa Nordlys.

Forsvaret sier at hendelsen skyldtes en misforståelse. Våpenet som ble rettet mot Baal, var ikke skarpladd.

– Hæren har fredag hatt et konstruktivt møte med Helligskogen reinbeitedistrikt om Cold Response 2026, og ønsker å bygge videre på det, sier oberstløytnant Lars Strøm, som er kommunikasjonssjef i Hæren.

 

Dyrevelferden må veie tungt når Forsvaret nærmer seg tamreindriften. Samtidig må alle utmarksbrukere regne med å merke det når vi og våre allierte øver på å forsvare landet.

Skader må søkes unngått, og erstattes om de oppstår. Men den som tror at store, motoriserte militærøvelser er det verste som kan skje arealbrukende virksomheter, har ikke vært i en krigssone. Alle har interesse av at Forsvaret øver på å forsvare fedrelandet.

NATIONEN - distriktsavisa (publisert: 09.03.26 17:53)

 

  

*1 Cold Response er en Norskledet militær vinterøvelse som avholdes hvert annet år. På land og i luften trenes det i Nord-Norge (Troms og nordre Nordland) og Nord-Finland. På sjøen skal det øves i sjøområdene utenfor Norge. Hoveddelen skjer 9.–19. mars 2026. Rundt 25 000 soldater deltar i øvelsen. Av disse øver rundt 11 800 på norsk jord. Resten deltar på sjøen, i luften og i Finland. Deltakerne kommer fra Norge, USA, Storbritannia, Tyskland, Nederland, Frankrike, Italia, Canada, Spania, Tyrkia, Sverige, Finland, Danmark og Belgia.

 

Agálas johtin

Quora, oppdatert 12. jan. 2026:

Kan samene fra Norge, Sverige og Finland forstå hverandre?

Rolf Theil, tidligere professor i lingvistikk, Universitetet i Oslo (1966–2016): 

Det finst 9~10 levande samiske språk i Noreg, Sverige, Finland og Russland, og grensene mellom desse språka følgjer ikkje statsgrensene, fordi dei utvikla seg før nordmenn, svenskar, finnar og russarar la ulike delar av dei samiskspråklege delane av Fennoskandia under seg.*1 

(Eg skriv «9~10 levande samiske språk» fordi statusen til akkalasamisk er uklar.)

(Dei samiske språka stammar frå ursamisk, som blei snakka om lag på same tid som urnordisk, dvs rundt dei fem første hundreåra etter Kristi fødsel. Det er vandringsrutene til reindriftsamane – mellom sommarbeite og vinterbeite – som har bestemt grensene mellom språka. Vandringa skjer på tvers av den skandinaviske halvøya.) 

Sørsamar i Sverige og Noreg snakkar same språket og skjønar med andre ord kvarande, men di lenger nordover og austover du kjem i Fennoskandia, di vanskelegare er det for ein sørsamisktalande å forstå andre samiske språk. Ein sørsame kan truleg forstå ein god del ume- og pitesamisk, men så er det slutt. Nordsamar og sørsamar snakkar saman på norsk og svensk.

Dei som snakkar nordsamisk, forstår lulesamisk relativt greitt, men ume- og pitesamisk er det nok verre med. Dei samiske språka lenger aust, frå enare- og skoltesamisk og vidare bortover på Kola, er vanskelege å forstå for nordsamisktalande. For over 50 år sidan – da eg studerte nordsamisk – følgde eg eit kurs i enaresamisk ved Universitetet i Oslo, og dei nordsamisktalande studiekameratane mine hadde ikkje noko lettare for å forstå tekstane enn eg. Men dei nordsamisktalande i Noreg forstår utan vidare nordsamisk i Sverige og Finland. Eg har møtt nordsamisktalande samar frå Finland som har jobba i Karasjok. Dei brukar nordsamisk i jobben. Dei kan finsk (og engelsk) i tillegg til nordsamisk, men norsk kan dei ikkje.

Skoltesamar i Noreg, Finland og Russland forstår kvarandre.


Quora/Rolf Theil

Wimme - Agálas johtin / Eternal journey.

  

*1 Academia Cervena: Introduction to the Sami Languages,
    JuLingo: About the Sámi languages.

  

American Arctic readiness

 

 

  

Humiliated by Finnish reservists

In an article published January 21, journalists at The Times argue that US forces are poorly prepared for military operations in the Arctic. Citing a source in military circles, the paper reports that the US armed forces lack both the resources and the practical experience needed to operate effectively in this region.

According to the article, American troops are outperformed even by their European NATO partners when it comes to Arctic readiness. The best prepared for harsh northern conditions, The Times notes, are the forces of the Scandinavian countries, Finland and the United Kingdom.

A military source told the paper that during last year’s Joint Viking exercises in northern Norway, US units ran into serious difficulties.*1 The source said the exercise command had to ask Finnish reservists, who were playing the role of the simulated enemy, to ease up on the American troops because their performance was becoming, in his words, "humiliating and demoralising" for the US side.*2

The report also states that the United States still depends on Finnish technology for building icebreakers, while European countries have far more substantial hands-on experience operating in Arctic conditions. Against this backdrop, The Times concludes that if US President Donald Trump truly wants to "protect" the region, continuing to antagonise America’s Arctic allies is the wrong approach.

The newspaper adds that Joint Viking is not the only exercise taking place in the High North: NATO also conducts drills such as Cold Response. According to The Times, the alliance is now discussing the creation of an "Arctic Sentry" mission, intended to counter what it describes as "Russian threats" in the region.


Source: Military Affairs/John Baker

 

 

Finnish reservists.

 

*1 Joint Viking is a Norwegian winter exercise held every other year. Around 10,000 Norwegian and allied soldiers took part in the exercise, held in Northern Norway from 3 to 14 March 2025. The aim of the exercise was to enhance allied interoperability, train on protecting NATO's northern flank and to test Norway's ability to recieve allied reinforcements. Joint Viking 2025 gathered participants from nine nations: Norway, Canada, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the USA. 

*2 Finland, which has the longest border with Russia of any NATO or EU country, is well known for its decades of focus on a possible attack from its eastern neighbour, leading to a level of preparedness perhaps unequalled in the western world. It has fought many conflicts with Russia, most infamously the winter war of 1939/40 in which the Nordic country inflicted hundreds of thousands of casualties on the invading Soviet army. Almost a third of Finland's adult population are reservists, giving the country of just 5.6 million people one of the largest militaries in Europe and its joint largest amount of artillery. While conscription is mandatory for Finnish men, it is voluntary for women aged 18–29. After completing their service, women are placed in the reserve just like their male counterparts, with similar duties and opportunities for further training. Since its initiation in 1995, up to more than 14,000 women in total have completed the voluntary military service for women.

  

A rupture, not a transition

 

 

Europe must heed Mark Carney – and embrace a painful emancipation from the US

EU leaders would do well to meditate on the seminal lesson that the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, delivered at this year’s World Economic Forum.

In an incisive analysis of the new age of predatory great powers, where might is increasingly asserted as right, Carney not only accurately defined the coarsening of international relations as “a rupture, not a transition”. He also outlined how liberal democratic “middle powers” such as Canada – but also European countries – must build coalitions to counter coercion and defend as much as possible of the principles of territorial integrity, the rule of law, free trade, climate action and human rights. He spelled out a hedging strategy that Canada is already pursuing, diversifying its trade and supply chains and even opening its market to Chinese electric vehicles to counter Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian-made automobiles.

Carney’s clear-eyed recognition that the age of the western-led “rules-based international order” – with all its flaws and inconsistencies – is not coming back contrasts with dithering among European leaders, many of whom still seem to believe they can flatter, bribe and appease Trump into taking their interests into account. Fear of Trump storming out of Nato or abandoning Ukraine to Russian dismemberment has so far prevented them from taking a strong stance against his bullying of allies.

 

Nuuk, Greenland.

The US president’s insistence on taking possession of Greenland, and his threat of punitive tariffs against European allies who sent a small reconnaissance force to Greenland last week in support of Denmark, should be the red line that finally triggers a united and firm European response. Yet nothing is less certain, with EU leaders still torn between de-escalation and bargaining on the one hand, and escalation to create a balance of power before any negotiation, on the other.

Trump muddied the waters after giving a belligerent speech in Davos, by announcing he had “formed the framework of a future deal” on Greenland in talks with Nato’s Mark Rutte and would not, after all, be imposing those threatened additional tariffs. But Europeans should not be lulled into dropping their guard.

Carney’s lesson in Davos could not have been clearer and more timely. “When we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what’s offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating,” he warned. “This is not sovereignty. It’s the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination. In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice – compete with each other for favour, or combine to create a third path with impact.”

In other words, Europe can only hope to stop Trump’s abuse of US power if it acts with unity and strength, and joins forces with like-minded countries such as Canada, but also Japan, Australia, Brazil and India, to build new trade pacts and rules.*

Paul Taylor/The Guardian

 

* Visit this post on the site of the World Economic Forum to read the full transcript of the speech by Mark Carney in Davos. The post also contains a video of Carney's complete performance on January 20, 2026.

 

Goodbye my friend

A joint statement

Europe vowed a united response after President Donald Trump said he would impose tariffs on eight of its allies for sending troops to Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark that the president has repeatedly threatened to annex.

Trump said Saturday he would introduce 10% tariffs on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, all of which sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland in recent days to take part in military exercises.

The move, which comes as Trump has stepped up his campaign to annex the territory, prompted a wave of condemnation from the leaders of the ostensible U.S. allies, which were already subject to tariffs of 10% and 15%. The row could call into question trade deals the U.S. struck with the U.K. in May and the European Union in July.

On Sunday, the eight countries issued a joint statement declaring that they “stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland.” 

"As members of Nato, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise Arctic Endurance conducted with Allies, responds to this necessity. It poses no threat to anyone,” the statement said. 

"Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty," it added. 

 

Upernavik in northwest Greenland, 19th century.

A day earlier, Trump’s announcement set off a firestorm across European capitals as he threatened tariffs in his latest effort to acquire the territory of Greenland for the United States.

“Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown. This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday announcing the tariffs. 

Trump added that the tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1, and would remain in effect “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”

His comments came as thousands rallied on Saturday in the Danish cities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense, as well as in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, to oppose Trump’s annexation plans. In Nuuk, hundreds marched to the U.S. consulate, some holding signs that read “Greenland is not for sale,” and “Yankees go home!”


 Richard Hall and Rebecca Schneid/Time (January 18)

Nuuk, Greenland.

Donald the Conqueror

 

Yesterday

Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt met the US vice-president JD Vance for talks in Washington.

Following the meeting, Rasmussen told a news conference: “I know very well that the future is not about the past, but I think it is important to have the past in mind. We are eager to fulfil our promises. Even though our view on the situation right now around Greenland differs from public statements in the US, we want to work closely with the US, but it must be of course a respectful kind of cooperation.”

Rasmussen said the two ministers told their US counterparts that “it is not easy to think innovative[ly] about solutions when you wake up every morning to different threats.”

Rasmussen said it was a constructive meeting with the US, but admitted “we didn’t manage to change the US position” so far. “It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering Greenland, and we made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the Kingdom [of Denmark].”

 

Kullorsuaq, an Inuit village in northwest Greenland.

France is expected to join the new European military mission to Greenland, Agence France-Presse reported.

Germany said it would deploy a 13-strong Bunderwehr reconnaissance team to “explore the framework conditions for possible military contributions to support Denmark in ensuring security in the region”, the German defence ministry said, quoted by AFP.

The European parliament leaders issued a statement declaring their “firm” support for Denmark, Greenland and the rules-based international as they “unequivocally” condemned the US ambition to control the semi-autonomous territory. They stressed that “any attempt to undermine the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland, violates international law and the United Nations Charter.” They added that “the security of the Arctic is a strategic priority for the European Union, and we are firmly committed to safeguarding it,” calling for “reinforcing European defence capabilities” to ensure security in the Arctic region.

Greenlandic deputy prime minister, Múte B. Egede, said that more soldiers were expected in the coming days, joined by “more military flights and ships” as part of hastily convened “Operation Arctic Endurance.”

The Guardian

 

 

A Courtship In Greenland by Carl Rasmussen, ca. 1880.

 

Love is all that matters

 

 

 

Truth

You're a stranger in the streets
And I see you everyday
But we don't stop when we meet
I don't know your name

 

You're the book I want to read
You're the song that makes me cry
And the quiet conversation
That changed my mind

 

I turn to you
Just to see the truth, just to see the truth
We are strangers in this world together
Looking for an answer, you're my only shelter

Love is all that matters, love is all that matters

 

You're the unsolved mystery
You're the gap between two stars
And the loneliness that moves in me
My companion

 

In the dark
We are strangers in the dark

 

I turn to you
Just to see the truth, just to see the truth
We are strangers in this world together
Just looking for an answer, you're my only shelter

Love is all that matters, love is all that matters


Eivør

 

Syðrugøta

Eivør Pálsdóttir werd op 21 juli 1983 geboren in Syðrugøta, een dorp op Eysturoy, een van de eilanden van de Føroyar (de Faeröer).*1 Het dorp telt ongeveer 400 inwoners en wordt, samen met de nabijgelegen dorpen Gøtugjógv en Norðragøta, vaak simpelweg 'Gøta' genoemd. Uit archeologische opgravingen bleek dat Syðrugøta al sinds de Vikingtijd permanent bewoond wordt.

In 2002 vormden de rotsen en het strand van Syðrugøta de achtergrond voor het eerste G!-Festival.*2 Sindsdien wordt het muziekfestival ieder jaar opnieuw in juli georganiseerd. Het duurt in totaal drie dagen en trekt duizenden bezoekers, zowel van de Føroyar zelf als van overzee. Een aantal van hen vindt onderdak bij de bewoners van het dorp, de rest bivakkeert in tenten.


©Huub Drenth

 

*1 Mijn post Trøllabundin gaat eveneens over Eivør Pálsdóttir.
*2 Hier meer informatie over het G!-Festival.

Zie ook mijn post van 21 juli 2019, getiteld Beetje rare dag vandaag.

 

Ba, lily wean!

 

 

The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry

An eartly nourris sits and sings, 

And aye she sings, Ba, lily wean! *1

Little ken I my bairnis father,

Far less the land that he staps in.

 

Then ane arose at her bed-fit, 

An a grumly guest I'm sure was he:

'Here am I, thy bairnis father,

Although that I be not comelie.

 

'I am a man, upo the lan,  

An I am a silkie in the sea;

And when I'm far and far frae lan, 

My dwelling is in Sule Skerrie.'

 

'It was na weel,' quo the maiden fair, 

'It was na weel, indeed,' quo she, 

'That the Great Silkie of Sule Skerrie

Suld hae come and aught a bairn to me.'

 

Now he has taen a purse of goud, 

And he has pat it upo her knee,

Sayin, Gie to me my little young son, 

An tak thee up thy nourris-fee.

 

An it sall come to pass on a simmer's day, 

When the sin shines het on evera stane,

That I will tak my little young son,

An teach him for to swim the faem.

An thu sail marry a proud gunner,
An a proud gunner I'm sure he'll be,
An the very first schot that ere he schoots,
He'll schoot baith my young son and me.

 

 

Norn en Scots

Een vrouw met een baby klaagt dat ze de vader van haar kind niet kent en dat ze evenmin weet waar hij woont. Vervolgens staat er opeens een persoon aan het voeteneind van haar bed die haar vertelt dat hij de vader is. Het is een silkie, iemand die van gedaante kan veranderen; op land is hij een man en in zee neemt hij de vorm van een zeehond aan. Hij leeft op een verafgelegen eiland dat Sule Skerry heet. De silkie geeft haar een buidel met goud, neemt de baby van haar over en voorspelt op de valreep ook nog dat ze met een jager gaat trouwen die met zijn geweer zowel hem als hun kind zal doden.*2

Het lied werd, in deze vorm, gezongen op de Shetlandeilanden en is daar omstreeks 1850 opgetekend door een zekere captain F. W. L. Thomas. Op de Orkney-eilanden bestond ook een versie van het lied, zij het met een dubbel aantal strofen. Op beide eilandengroepen werd vele honderden jaren Norn, een taal die afstamt van het Oud-Noors van de Vikingen, gesproken maar in de negentiende eeuw komt hier definitief een einde aan. Vanaf dan wordt er op de eilanden enkel nog in een variant van het Engels, die als Scots bekend staat, met elkaar gecommuniceerd.

 

Scots en Gaelic

Het Shetland Scots is een dialect dat weliswaar verwant is aan het Scots zoals dat in het oosten en zuiden van Schotland wordt gesproken, maar dat daarnaast z'n woordenschat deels aan het Oud-Noors ontleent.*3 Hetgeen, weliswaar in iets minder mate, ook van toepassing is op het dialect van de Orkneyeilanden. In de, door captain Thomas opgetekende, Shetlandse versie van The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry zijn die invloeden her en der nog duidelijk herkenbaar.

Het Scots hoort bij de West-Germaanse talen en is dus niet verwant aan het Scottish Gaelic (Schots Keltisch) dat met name in het uiterste westen van Schotland nog veel sprekers kent. Aangezien het Shetland Scots een dialect is dat gesproken wordt door een relatief kleine groep verliest het tegenwoordig steeds meer terrein aan het Scots dat op het vasteland gangbaar is. Voor het Orkney Scots geldt dit nog sterker. Verreweg de meeste bewoners van beide eilandengroepen zijn afstammelingen van de Vikingen, maar uit hun taal zal dat binnen afzienbare tijd waarschijnlijk niet meer af te leiden zijn.

In de video wordt het lied over de silkie van Sule Skerry gezongen door Wendy Weatherby. De door captain Thomas opgetekende tekst heeft her en der wat kleine aanpassingen ondergaan waardoor de song ook voor een tegenwoordig publiek nog steeds toegankelijk is.


©Huub Drenth

Vrouwelijke silkie.

 

*1 Ba, lily wean = huil maar, lief kind.
*2 About Silkies (Wikipedia).
*3 History of the Shetland dialect.

Joost Klein och Melodifestivalen

Falskt anklagad

Fotografen som blev utsatt för Joost Klein bakom scenen på Eurovision överklagar inte.*1 I ett uttalande säger hon att våld inte borde accepteras under några omständigheter men att hon vill gå vidare med sitt liv. "Min klient vill fokusera på sitt psykiska välmående," säger hennes advokat Kristoffer Ståhl.

Joost Kleins agerande mot en kvinnlig fotograf bakom scenen på Eurovision Song Contest fick honom diskvalificerad från tävlingen. Det resulterade i en polisanmälan men i mitten av augusti meddelade åklagaren att förundersökningen mot den nederländska artisten läggs ner.

Nu har den utsatta fotografen bestämt sig för att inte begära överprövning av åklagarens beslut, det meddelar hon via sin advokat Kristoffer Ståhl. "Min klient hyser inga agg mot herr Klein. Hon anser att våld inte borde vara acceptabelt någonstans, oavsett adrenalin eller upprörda känslor," säger Ståhl.

Det var dagen efter den andra seminfinalen som Joost Klein inte dök upp på ett första genrep inför finalen. Han anklagades för att ha betett sig våldsamt mot en Eurovision-medarbetare bakom scenen. Händelsen polisanmäldes och Eurovision-arrangören EBU diskvalificerade Klein med motiveringen att han brutit mot tävlingens uppförandekod.


Källa: Aftonbladet, 4 september 2024.

Joost K.

 

*1 On 11 December 2023, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced that Joost Klein had been selected as the Dutch representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, which was going to take place in Malmö, Sweden, in May 2024. The whole of Europe expected Klein, after having qualified in the semi-final on 9 May with his song "Europapa", to perform in the final, two days later. On the day of the final, however, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that Klein had been disqualified from further partaking in the contest, due to an "incident".

According to AVROTROS Joost Klein, immediately after his semi-final performance, was filmed against his will by a Swedish camerawoman and on the spot had objected to what she was doing. The woman alleged that Klein had reacted to the recording by making a "threatening move" towards her. The details of the altercation are unclear, but the Swedish police said they would investigate whether criminal threats had been made. Klein refused to talk to the media about the incident but denied the accusation through his lawyer.

On 12 August, the Swedish public prosecutor's office announced that the case against Joost Klein was closed because it could not be proven that he "was capable of causing serious fear or that [he] had such an intention". On 3 september 2024 the woman's lawyer announced that his client would not appeal against the decision.

By the way: the current executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, a representative of the EBU who is also in charge of the rules of the contest, is Swedish TV producer Martin Österdahl. Probably the EBU Executive Board, because of Österdahls disproportionate and quite opportunistic decision to disqualify Joost Klein from the contest in May 2024, now will try to get rid of him as soon as possible.

(On October 15, 2024, the EBU appointed British broadcast events leader Martin Green to the new role of director, overseeing the entire show, including Martin Österdahl's minimized contribution to the event. On June 27, 2025, Österdahl announced his resignation as Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest and Junior Eurovision Song Contest. This decision was made public through the official Eurovision website.)

Sources: Wikipedia and Aftonbladet.