A group of fundamentalist Catholics prevented Tuesday evening December 7 the holding of a concert deemed
"satanist"
by Swedish artist Anna von Hausswolff at the Lieu Unique in Nantes, announced elected officials of the city.
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"A handful of intolerant radicals is causing the cancellation of a concert in ND du Bon-Port scheduled in agreement with the bishopric,"
tweeted Bassem Asseh, first deputy mayor of Nantes.
“Nothing authorized the expression of such censorship. This is not our conception of a social project based on dialogue and cultural openness, ”
he added. The concert, scheduled for 9 p.m., was sold out. A video broadcast by
Ouest France
shows the opponents of the concert blocking the entrance and singing in a group
"Holy Mary mother of God, pray for us poor sinner"
.
“Some fundamentalists have therefore succeeded in preventing a concert. (...) This strengthens us in the idea that in the face of obscurantism, we need more than ever the light of the arts and culture, ”
tweeted Aymeric Seassau, Deputy Culture.
"A lamentable manifestation of intolerance and attack on cultural expression,"
also tweeted Olivier Château, deputy for Heritage at the town hall of Nantes.
Read also Fundamentalist Catholics condemned for disrupting a play
Anna von Hausswolff is a post-metal and experimental rock singer, pianist, organist, and songwriter. In one of her songs "Pills", she evokes drug addiction and metaphorically says that she
"had sex with the devil"
.
According to the blog "salon beige" which defines itself as held by
"lay Catholics"
, the concert was initially to be held in the church of Saint-Clément,
"which hosts the traditional mass in Nantes"
, and has been moved to the Notre-Dame du Bon-Port church, a place considered more open.
“This concert arouses strong protests from the faithful, because the works, titles, covers and clips bear witness to works rooted in Gothic, even Satanism,”
explains its author.