Behemoth frontman Nergal has been found guilty of “offending religious feelings” in Poland, due to allegedly uploading picture of the Virgin Mary with a foot on top of her face on Behemoth’s Facebook page in 2019. According to The PRP, Nergal will have to pay a fine of 15,000 zloty alongside legal fees of 3,500 zloty, which amounts to $4,980.
The vocalist, whose real name is Adam Darski, has since responded to this conviction, refusing to plead guilty and contesting the ruling. “Will I let superstition and fundamentalist dogmas capitalize on this and EVERY other case of the same nature? FUCK NO! Nigel has some ases up his sleeve… Just wait and see,” Darski wrote on Instagram.
According to statement from Aleksandra Skrzyniarz, a spokeswoman for the district prosecutor’s office in Warsaw where Darski was indicted, the singer was accused of “offending the religious feelings of four people,” due to his image. Skrzyniarz’s statement would go on to reference the ultra-conservative Ordo luris, a fundamentalist Catholic organization known for its anti-abortion stances and the Patriotic Society as individuals who identified Darski’s post.
This isn’t the first time Darski or Behemoth have been dragged to court over accusations of blasphemy. A year ago Darski appeared in court to defend Behemoth’s white eagle logo, which faced charges of being “anti-Polish” and “blasphemous,” with the offended parties alleging that the logo mocked the national coat of arms of Poland. The performer nearly faced prison time for a 2008 incident where he tore up a bible on stage, but these charges were eventually dismissed due to a statute of limitations.
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