Adam “Nergal” Darski, frontman of Polish black metal titans Behemoth, shared choice words on social media regarding his country’s near-total ban on abortions, calling the restrictions “medieval” in a since-deleted Instagram post.
As CNN reports, on Wednesday, Poland — one of the most predominantly Catholic countries in Europe — unexpectedly put the rules into effect. The announcement resulted in mass demonstrations by Polish women whose right to choice has been stripped away by the government.
The ruling came from Poland’s constitutional tribunal court in October and was greeted with protests across Poland and ire from pro-choice advocates around the world. The near-ban includes terminations of pregnancies with fetal defects. Abortions are only permitted in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger.
In his Instagram post, which was posted yesterday and removed while this article was being written, Nergal blasted the Polish government and the pervasive Catholicism that motivated the abortion ban:
“Today Polish government imposed a near-total ban on all abortions, including the termination of pregnancies with fetal defect. I’m passionately enraged!! Becoz of this political discourse Poland has been on downward spiral to social oblivion for years now. We are moving back to the obscure, scary, medieval past.
From now on my dear women, in the eyes of Polish political leaders you are just a breeding tool in their rigorous Catholic narration, u have NO control over your body whatsoever.
The consequences of choosing religious fundamentalists as your country’s authorities: continuous limitations and censorship of main human liberties.
What one can do? Well, the battle is lost… but the war is to be won by those enlightened, forward thinking.
“Do NOT cease your fight, spread the word, speak up and support Polish women in their relentless struggle! EXTERMINATE RELIGIOUS CANCER! F**k the system!”
As an outspoken critic of religion and leader of an internationally known band, Nergal has gained the attention of the Polish government a few times, most famously for tearing up a Bible onstage in 2007.
Behemoth and Nergal also distanced themselves from the National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) movement that spread throughout Poland in the 1990s, symbolized by Nergal’s exit from the Temple of Fullmoon cult after it became associated with intolerance and neo-Nazism.
