Polish black metal scary guys Behemoth have been tearing up bibles onstage for a long time, so it wasn't too shocking when lead gurgler Adam "Nergal" Darski was formally charged back in March for insulting Roman Catholics. But it looks as if evil has prevailed in this particular courtroom battle, as the charges have been dismissed.
The band posted the following on their MySpace page on Monday (June 28):
The District Court for Gdynia has dismissed the investigation against Behemoth vocalist/guitarist Adam Darski (pseudonym/nickname Nergal), accused of an offence against religious feelings (sec. 196 of Polish Criminal Code).
During the preparatory proceedings the defender filled the application, which was entirely accepted by the Court. The defendant's behaviour wasn't recognized as a crime. Moreover the Court acknowledged no causal connection/cause-and-effect relationship between Adam Darski's behaviour and the consequence in a form of outrage of religious emotions.
The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in September of 2007 when Nergal reportedly referred to the Catholic Church as "the most murderous cult on the planet" and tore up a copy of the bible onstage. If found guilty, Nergal would have faced up to two years in prison. Footage of the bible-tearing incident, which was not an isolated incident in the band's history, can be seen below.
Behemoth's last album was last year's Evangelion.
The band posted the following on their MySpace page on Monday (June 28):
The District Court for Gdynia has dismissed the investigation against Behemoth vocalist/guitarist Adam Darski (pseudonym/nickname Nergal), accused of an offence against religious feelings (sec. 196 of Polish Criminal Code).
During the preparatory proceedings the defender filled the application, which was entirely accepted by the Court. The defendant's behaviour wasn't recognized as a crime. Moreover the Court acknowledged no causal connection/cause-and-effect relationship between Adam Darski's behaviour and the consequence in a form of outrage of religious emotions.
The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred in September of 2007 when Nergal reportedly referred to the Catholic Church as "the most murderous cult on the planet" and tore up a copy of the bible onstage. If found guilty, Nergal would have faced up to two years in prison. Footage of the bible-tearing incident, which was not an isolated incident in the band's history, can be seen below.
Behemoth's last album was last year's Evangelion.