BEHEMOTH Frontman Questioned By Polish Authorities For Allegedly Disrespecting National Coat Of Arms

October 31, 2017

BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski has been brought in for questioning by Polish authorities for allegedly disrespecting one of the country's national symbols.

According to the guitarist/vocalist, the band's "The Republic Of The Unfaithful" t-shirt design is said to be insulting to the national coat of arms of Poland, a stylized white eagle with a golden beak and talons, and wearing a golden crown, in a red shield.

Polish symbols are protected against public profanation and insult. According to Lexology.com, any public use that could be damaging or insulting may be considered a criminal offense. Therefore, it is important not to use any national symbol (even if artistically processed) in a way that could be deemed as disrespectful or offensive.

Nergal revealed his latest legal challenge in an October 30 social media post. He wrote: "So here I go again. On my way to the prosecutor's office in Gdansk to be questioned as a suspect in 'The Republic Of The Unfaithful' case. Me and my partner in 'crime' Maciek Manticore Gruszka is showing up too. Several individuals have been already questioned, including heraldists who have made their statement clear: THIS IS NOT A POLISH EMBLEM. Apparently it's not [enough] for the decision makers in the court.

"Are they looking for a scapegoat? Is this another attempt of the Polish government to convict Nergal and give an example for other artists? What's the hidden message of those actions, may I ask? 'Do NOT fuck with us'? 'Polish emblem as well as other religious symbols are meant to be untouchable'? 'Art has its strict borders and thou shalt obey, Nergal!'?

"Weird times, weird country, weird vibes… I do NOT feel safe and comfortable here, I must admit, but do I feel guilty? Fuck no. I worship the reason and I'm a massive fan of logic, therefore it is OBVIOUS that the eagle that has NO crown can NOT be a Polish emblem. Period.

"Sadly we have stopped selling shirts with this motive (but hey, it's ALREADY the best-selling shirt in our catalogue! huurraaay!) but what we are gonna do with fans who have tattooed 'The republic of the unfaithful' on their back? Shall we arrest them? Peel the skin off? Cover it up? These rhetorical questions I'm gonna leave unanswered here and go to do what I do best: piss stupid people off with sincere and honest art and I shall NEVER give up on my freedom to do so."

In 2011, Nergal was acquitted in Poland on charges he insulted religious sentiment 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."

"So here I go again. On my way to the prosecutors office in Gdansk to be questioned as a suspect in “The republic of the...

Posted by Adam Nergal Darski on Monday, October 30, 2017

Find more on Behemoth
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).