Christian political parties in Hoogeveen call black metal band Rotting Christ ‘anti-Christian and offensive’. That band performs on the Podium, the announcement of this on billboards hit CDA, ChristenUnie and SGP the wrong way.
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In Hoogeveen, billboards advertised the performance of the Greek band on Thursday. “We believe that these kinds of advertisements are against morality and needlessly hurtful. That certainly applies to the religious communities and churches in Hoogeveen,” the parties wrote in an open letter to the Podium. “The image on the signage of this band is painful because it insults the Christian faith. Such advertising is also not accepted towards other faith groups.”
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The parties believe that some of the Hoogeveners are consciously shocked by the band’s expressions. “They use symbols of Satanism, such as a cross on its head. We would absolutely have done this if this was about Buddhism or Islam,” said interim party leader of the CDA Haaije Feenstra-Paas. “We believe that you should treat minorities with respect, and therefore also Christianity. We are used to humor and that there is some provocation, but this is going too far.”
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The posters have since been removed. Het Podium never stated that it had the intention of wanting to hurt people.
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The three political parties are particularly concerned that the Podium is a subsidized institution. “We are against deliberately hurting people, especially if a band is partly paid for with public money,” says Feenstra-Paas. “There is freedom of expression and there is no arguing about taste. If it is a group of fans that hires a band themselves and puts in money for it, it’s a different story.”
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The parties will ask the Mayor and Aldermen questions about the situation. But do political parties have anything to say about the programs of cultural institutions? “We never interfere with that, that’s what the culture experts are about. But we think this is a bridge too far, and we must therefore account for it,” says Feenstra-Paas.
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