Ultra-conservative Catholics have banned a concert by Swedish Gothic artist Anna von Hossoffulf in Nantes, France. A group of about a hundred fighters blocked the entrance to the church and intimidated 400 party-goers. The so-called Catholic integrationists are religious fundamentalists who want, among other things, to do away with the separation of church and state. They claim that Anna von Husswolf is a Satanist because, as is familiar with Gothic, the artist incorporates references to Satan and witchcraft into her lyrics. Photos can be seen on Twitter of integrative supporters in the street singing and chanting religious slogans preventing access to the church.
Tension rises a little in front of the port of Notre Dame de Bonne # Nantes pic.twitter.com/643rvWjHqx
– Emmanuel Vautier December 7, 2021
The orthodox Reformatorisch Dagblad, the only Dutch medium that took an interest in a campaign of religious censorship, describes the reason for the protest of integrationists:
According to them, the music of von Husswolf desecrates the church building. They refer to the lyrics of the song “Pills”, in which the gothic musician sings, among other things: “Oh, I loved the devil, with the devil.” The Roman Catholic demonstrators – mostly young – were more than upset that the concert would take place on a holiday important to them, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
The concert in Nantes has been cancelled. A later concert in Paris, in which she was played the organ by Dutch organ maker van den Heuvel, was also canceled for safety reasons under pressure from religious extremists. On Saturday, Anna von Husswolf will perform at Stephenskerk in Nijmegen.
Anna von Hosswolf posted a picture of herself on Instagram, alone in an abandoned church. “Far right catholicism triumphed over art last night but not love. Here I am waiting in church as I listen to about 50-100 whole people singing and screaming in front of the church doors, blocking the entrance for nearly 400 people. It was a scary, tense, sad situation and we had no choice Other than canceling the party due to insecurity. My thoughts go out to all the wonderful fans who dealt with these people in peace and patience, and I am glad you learned that these matters are never resolved by force. The church and I work together and not against each other. It has always worked out very well, and both Happy.So much love and respect.Thousands of people have traveled to attend these shows and always in an atmosphere of love and affection from both the audience and the church.
Anna von Haus Wolff has to rely on churches for their concerts because she plays the organ and that instrument is almost only found in churches. The deputy mayor of Nantes, Basem Assich, condemned the action of the far-right on Twitter, and spoke of “a handful of fanatical extremists” exercising unauthorized censorship.
A handful of intolerant radicals cause a concert at the ND du Bon-Port that had been scheduled in agreement with the episcopate to be cancelled. Nothing allows such censorship to be expressed. This is not our concept of a social project based on dialogue and cultural openness.
– As ASSEH (@3asseh) December 7, 2021
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