Behemoth concert in London Photo: Justin Ng / Avalon / Profimedia
An Istanbul district on Tuesday canceled the concerts of two metal bands accused of “Satanism” by Islamist movements and ordered the temporary closure of the arena that was to host the concerts, writes AFP.
The governorate of Beşiktaş, a central district of Istanbul, announced the cancellation of the concerts that were to be performed by the bands Slaughter to Prevail (Russia) and Behemoth (Poland), “due to their incompatibility with our societal values.”
The statement states that “these events caused a strong reaction from many segments of society”, without giving details. Zorlu Center will no longer be allowed to organize “any kind of concerts, festivals and paid programs for two days, February 10 and 11.”
The decision, which provoked numerous reactions online in Turkey, was taken following calls on social networks launched by the publication Yeni Akit, close to the ruling Islamic conservative AKP party.
Under the headline “Satanic children of the devil arrive in Istanbul”, the newspaper writes that the two bands were “banned and expelled from Russia and Poland for spreading satanic propaganda and poisoning the souls of young people”. Calling for the two concerts to be banned, Yeni Akit accused the two bands of “promoting Satanism through inscriptions and visual elements representing the Devil”.
The lead singer of Slaughter to Prevail, known by the stage name “Alex the Terrible”, reacted on Instagram with a video message in English and Russian with Turkish subtitles denouncing “a group of Islamists who put pressure on the government saying we are doing satanic propaganda”. “It's completely false. I believe in God,” the Russian said.
“We can't do anything against the Turkish government. It's a very sad situation,” “Alex the Terrible” concluded.
