Concert canceled under pressure from fundamentalist Catholics in Nantes

Swedish musician Anna von Hausswolff was to perform in a church in Nantes on Tuesday evening, December 7, but a group of fundamentalist Catholics prevented her from doing so. Judging his music “Satanist”, the latter were padlocked in the Notre-Dame du Bon-Port church, thus blocking access to spectators.

“A handful of intolerant radicals causes the cancellation of a concert in ND du Bon-Port scheduled in agreement with the bishopric”, tweeted Bassem Asseh, first deputy mayor of Nantes.

A handful of intolerant radicals causes the cancellation of a concert in ND du Bon-Port scheduled in accordance with the… https://t.co/ZvCL1fsPOw

– 3asseh (@Bassem ASSEH)

“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 West France shows opponents of the concert blocking the entrance to the church and singing in groups “Saint Mary mother of God, pray for us poor sinners”.

“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, assistant for culture at the town hall of Nantes. “A lamentable manifestation of intolerance and attack on cultural expression”, for his part tweeted Olivier Château, heritage assistant.

“It has already performed in about forty churches”

Anna von Hausswolff is a singer, pianist, organist and songwriter of post-metal and experimental rock. In one of his songs, Pills, she evokes drug addiction and says metaphorically to have “Make love with the devil”.

“It has already occurred in about forty churches or cathedrals and there has never been a problem”, explained to West France Eli Commins, the director of the Lieu unique, the national stage of Nantes, who organized this concert outside the walls. “There is no religious inspiration, no violence! It just plays the organ, and the organs are found in churches. It’s post-metal influenced music. There weren’t even any words in the planned performance ”, he added.