Behemoth's vocalist won't go to jail for ripping a bible after all

by Tyler Munro

August 18, 2011

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Behemoth’s vocalist has had a shitty couple of years, but after beating leukemia and staring down silly anti-religion charges it looks like everything is finally coming up Milhouse. Or, uh, Nergal, since that’s his stage name.

Here’s the skinny: In 2007, Nergal tore up a Bible while performing in Gdynia, a city in his home country of Poland. Insulting the Roman Catholic Church and formally denouncing the religion is a crime in Poland, so it probably didn’t help that Nergal went on to call the religion “the most murderous cult on the planet”.

Two years later, the charges were dropped (temporarily) just in time for Nergal (real name Adam Darksi) to fall terribly ill. He was diagnosed with leukemia—which had already progressed past the point where chemotherapy would’ve been effective—and would spend the next 7 months in the hospital, desperately searching for a bone marrow match. After transplant surgery, Nergal was released…only to be readmitted after he got an infection. Nergal was finally released to start his recovery in March. Unfortunately, his Bible-tearing charges were appealed while he was sick and Nergal’s road to recovery was met with the possibility of two years in jail. For tearing a Bible!

Now, after all the hooplah, a judge has finally said enough. Judge Krzysztof Wieckowski has declared the band’s actions a “form of art” and set the band on its way. As Blabbermouth points out, “under Polish law, there must be at least two formal complaints before a charge is laid.”

In this case, the only formal complaint came from Ryszard Nowak, who attempted to sue Behemoth for promoting Satanism. Nowak is the head of the All-Polish Committee for Defense Against Sects.

With the charges formally dropped Nergal can continue living. His first stop? If the rumours are true, he’ll be a judge on the Polish version of popular singing series The Voice

Tags: Music, News, Behemoth

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