Polish singer faces two years in jail over Bible-tearing stunt

[cbayer]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/oct/31/polish-singer-bible-tearing-stunt

Poland's supreme court rules that Behemoth's Adam Darski 'offended religious feelings' by ripping up a Bible on stage

Sean Michaels
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 31 October 2012 06.27 EDT


Behemoth's Adam Darski AKA Nergal. Photograph: Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Poland's supreme court has issued a landmark judgment against a heavy metal musician who tore up a Bible at a gig in 2007. Although the judges conceded that Adam Darski, AKA Nergal, did not intend to offend his audience, they ruled that he could still have "offended religious feelings", violating Polish law. If found guilty, the singer could face up to two years in prison.

Darski had released eight albums with his band, Behemoth, by the time of their notorious performance in Gdynia on 13 September 2007. Appearing in full costume and makeup, Darski tore up a Bible and described the Catholic church as "the most murderous cult on the planet".

"We'd been doing that for two years on tour before it happened in Poland," Behemoth bassist Tomasz Wróblewski told Decibel magazine (via Blabbermouth). "We [were] not offending any particular person. We [were] just offending the religion that we've been raised in."

Despite this intention, Darski was pursued by Polish courts for having offended Catholic fans. After being cleared by judges in 2010 and 2011, the singer/guitarist is again on trial. Officials in Gdansk asked the supreme court how Darski could be "offending religious feelings" if most of Behemoth's fans expected theatrical sacrilege?

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[arcane1]

1. Kinda hard to imagine their fans being religiously offended

[thelordofhell]

2. And somewhere in a Russian gulag.......members of Pussy Riot say "So What??"