Polish Court Rules Against BEHEMOTH Frontman In Bible-Tearing Case

[redrumloa]

Poland's Supreme Court has ruled that Adam "Nergal" Darski, frontman for Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, committed a crime when when he called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during the band's September 2007 performance in Gdynia and tore up a copy of the Bible, calling it "a book of lies."

A lower court will now decide if Darski is guilty of the crime, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail.

"[The decision] is negative and restricts the freedom of speech. The court decided that this is allowed in a democratic system," Jacek Potulski, a lawyer for Darski, told Reuters.

 

[redrumloa]

A little bit of sanity.

European Commission Stands Up For BEHEMOTH Frontman In Poland's 'Blasphemy' Court Ruling

It cited the European Convention Of Human Rights, a Poland-signatory treaty attached to the Strasbourg-based rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, on freedom of expression.

"This right protects not only information or ideas that are favorably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also those that offend, shock or disturb," the commission said.

In a new posting on the BEHEMOTH Facebook page, Darski provided a link to the EUobserver article and added, "As some of you know, I've been battling this bullshit for a few years now. Things are getting more serious and... dangerous.

"Anyways, looks like freethinking wins over obscurity in the end. If not in Poland, at least in Europe... Read and share.