Behemoth Frontman Cleared of Blasphemy Charges

Behemoth frontman Nergal was found not-guilty of offending religious feeling by a judge in Poland, again. The charges, in case you forgot, stem from a 2007 performance by the band in Gydnia, in which he referred to the bible as a, "deceitful book", religion as a "criminal sect", and the catholic church as, "the most murderous cult on the planet", before destroying a bible on stage. Nergal was actually cleared of the same charges once before, last year, But prosecutors appealed the ruling.

Late last month, a Polish judge once again found him to be innocent, ruling that his ripping up of a bible during a show was a form of artistic expression consistent with the style of his band. Nergal made the following comments following the ruling:

"I'm so glad to see that intelligence won over religious fanatics in my home country. Though there's still so much work to be done to make things right… But I'm sure that I'm on the right path to ultimate freedom! The battle is won, but the war ain't over."

Amen. (irony intended)

-CAINE-

Source: Metal Injection

Posted by Youtube user: Behemothofficial

Behemoth Frontman Facing Blasphemy Charges in Poland

I first wrote here about Adam Darski, AKA "Nergal", frontman and guitarist for my favorite band Behemoth, about a year ago. At the time, he had just released a statement refuting claims by the religious that he had found god as a result of his leukemia diagnosis; for which he was then awaiting a bone marrow transplant. I also mentioned that earlier that same year blasphemy charges brought against him in Gdynia, Poland, had recently been dismissed. While there's since been plenty of good news where Adam's cancer is concerned, it would unfortunately appear that I was wrong about those blasphemy charges.

The good news is that after a years worth of treatment and recovery, undergoing chemo therapy and a bone marrow transplant Nergal ( sorry, I just can't call him Adam again) , has made a near complete recovery and is reported to be doing well. Just last month the group released some new rehearsal footage on their Youtube channel with Nergal back on the guitar, and though still understandably looking a bit thin, he otherwise appears to be in good shape and says that the band plans to start playing shows again in Poland in October before moving on to other parts of the world. All of which, makes me very happy to say.

The bad news of course, is now that his battle with leukemia is thankfully nearly over, he still has to face the polish legal system for charges of having committed an "offense against religious feelings" (sec. 196 of polish Criminal Code). The charges themselves stem from a performance by the band 14 years ago in Gydnia, in which he (quite fairly in my opinion) referred to the catholic church as, "the most murderous cult on the planet", before destroying a bible on stage. If found guilty of the clearly unforgivable crime of having hurt NAMBLA's, I mean, the catholic church's feelings, he could potentially face up to two years in prison for his "crime". Nergal himself briefly commented on his most recent court appearance last month saying;

"I spent 5 hours In the court in Gdynia today, the case is back on track and there's still [a] few witnesses to be interviewed. It's way too early to give any further comment. I just hope the final verdict is gonna be positive for me. I have a feeling that I'm in this situation for right reasons and I'm not giving up. Cross fingers! The battle ain't over yet..."

As for the actions which earned him the charges in the first place, as today's video from a 2008 show in Tilburg, as well as a variety of other examples on Youtube clearly illustrate; Nergal obviously regrets what he's done in the past, and promises he'll never do it again. No really, swear to god.

Best of luck Nergal.

-CAINE-

Source: noisecreep.com