At this point, the terrorist attacks in Paris last year are widely known by many, most notably the massacre that took place at Le Bataclan where the Eagles of Death Metal were performing. After the whole situation settlde and the band could process what happened, EODM’s frontman Jesse Hughes made some statements indicating that the security at the venue was somehow involved in the attack. The venue quickly responded to the allegations and Hughes apologized but it seems like some of those thoughts are lingering in his head and have cost the band their slot at some French festivals.
During a recent interview with Taki’s Magazine by VICE co-founder Gavin McInnes, Hughes spoke again about the attacks and the response from those around the area following the incident, by saying he saw Muslims celebrating in the streets:
A day after, at the stadium, Muslims booed the moment of silence and we barely heard about it in the press. I saw Muslims celebrating in the street during the attack. I saw it with my own eyes. In real time! How did they know what was going on? There must have been coordination.
He was later asked if he thought the security at the venue were Muslims, echoing some of the previous allegations he did in the past, to which he replied:
I know they were. Look, security guards backstage are notorious for being dicks. They check your ID every few minutes and nobody goes back and forth without being checked, even if you’re in the band. This guy didn’t care what we did. He didn’t even look at me.
The only time he seemed remotely interested in us was when he said to my girlfriend, “Do you speak French?” and “Where are you from?” She said she was from Texas and he was getting frustrated because that’s not what he meant. Then she said, “I’m American” and he lost interest. I honestly think he was trying to determine if she was Arab or not. She’s Mexican and she could easily pass for Lebanese and I think he was going to warn her if she was Muslim.
I kept opening up the back door to smoke and that’s usually a big no-no because of the sound ordinances. I’ve played there before and opening up that door to smoke got you in big trouble. This time, the security guy walks right past me and anxiously looks down the alleyway in either direction.
The generalization of that statement upset many people, including two French festivals where the band was scheduled to perform, the Rock en Seine concert in Paris and the Cabaret Vert festival in northern France. Both festivals issued a joint statement announcing the cancellation of EODM’s performance by stating:
Being in total disagreement with Jesse Hugues’ recent allegations given in an itw with an american media, both Cabaret Vert & Rock en Seine festivals have decided to cancel the band’s performance. We thank you for your understanding.
The band hasn’t responded to the cancellation but we’re sure they will issue a statement about it. Bottom line of this is that, while it’s understandable Hughes has gone through a lot after the events at Le Bataclan, it is far fetched to assume that every Muslim within the vicinity was part of some sort of conspiracy.
