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Death metal star in court again, accused of insulting Poland’s national emblem

07.07.2020 19:30
A death metal star went on trial on Tuesday, accused of insulting Poland’s national emblem.
Adam Darski.
Adam Darski.Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa

It is the second time that Adam Darski, whose stage name is Nergal, is facing court over such an accusation. In a previous case he was cleared of the charge, but the verdict was overturned.

The latest case before a court in Gdańsk, northern Poland, involves his band Behemoth’s “Republic of the Unfaithful” 2016 tour artwork and merchandise, which feature an image of the white eagle.

When Darski was first accused in 2018, the prosecutor’s office said the artwork “included elements and symbols considered Satanist and anti-Christian”.

State news agency PAP cited Darski as saying on Tuesday that “it is very unfair to label [his music] as anti-Polish or satanic. I believe that these are primitive accusations made by people without imagination who only see the world in one colour."

In a separate, earlier case, Nergal was taken to court for tearing up a Bible on stage 2007, while in 2011 he sparked a campaign of protest when he was cast as a judge on talent-finding show The Voice of Poland, a programme that was produced by public broadcaster TVP.

In 2012, the Polish Supreme court ruled against Adam Darski after he tore a copy of the Bible while on stage and called the Catholic Church “the most murderous cult on the planet”.

(jh/pk)

Source: PAP