A court case involving Polish blackened death metal giants Behemoth that had been dropped two years ago has been reopened.
In a social media post from frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski updating fans on his legal troubles, he said:
“In case some of you are wondering what’s going on with my legal cases while we r on quarantine… The “Polish emblem blasphemy “ has just been reopened and we r going thru this bullshit again in June.”
The case he’s referring to was from 2017, when the band released a merch design that the Polish government took as mocking the eagle on the country’s coat of arms. Darski, as well as designer of the image Rafal Wechterowicz and a third party that seemingly goes by the name Manticore were taken to court over the issue in 2018, where the case was dismissed.
This isn’t the only legal trouble Behemoth is dealing with right now. Darski also mentions in the post a case involving a photo of Jesus crucified on a phallus given to him by Triptykon/Celtic Frost’s Tom Gabriel Warrior and shared to social media in 2017. Authorities questioned him about the photo, presumably later suing him for violating the country’s blasphemy laws. That case will also be heard in June.
Poland has been making an example out of Behemoth for more than a decade. Back in 2007, Darski was sued for “promoting Satanism” after tearing up a bible on stage and calling the Catholic church a “murderous cult.” Like the current emblem case, this case had been dropped as well, only to be revisited in 2011.
“Although the most acute judges of the witches and even the witches themselves, were convinced of the guilt of witchery, the guilt nevertheless was non-existent,” concludes Darski’s post. “It is thus with all guilt.”
[via ThePrp]
