Behemoth Criticizes Polish University After Concert Cancellation

Polish Death Metal band Behemoth's cancelled October 2 date in Poznan, Poland was shut down due to political reasons, according to the band.??

The group was supposed to perform at the Poznan venue Eskulap, which doubles as a dormitory for the Poznan University of Medical Sciences.

The university's president Jacek Wysoki sent a letter to the band's promotor, saying the show would be cancelled out of "a concern for the safety of students and campus workers."??

Behemoth responded in an official statement:

"We have no doubt it is a political decision. It's not the first clampdown on national artists. Ponzan, instead of being a free culture center, begins to resemble Russia."

??Behemoth seems to be no stranger to political conflict lately. A large portion of their recent Russian tour was cancelled due to protests from Christian activists.

One incident, in Novosibirsk, saw violent thugs forcibly stopping the band from taking stage and assaulting concert-goers, according to The Moscow Times.

Earlier this year, Behemoth were detained by Russian authorities and ultimately forced to leave for violating the country's visa laws.

??The band's frontman, Adam "Nergal" Darksi also faced two years of jail time in Behemoth's native Poland for "offending religion feeling" when, in a 2007 incident, he called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" and shredded the bible onstage, referring to it as a "book of lies." He was acquitted in 2011.?