She said she wanted to preserve the ethics of her festival. The town hall of Béthune (Pas-de-Calais) cancelled on Wednesday the concert of a group suspected of having links with the neo-Nazi movement, reported The Voice of the NorthThe Evil Teds group was due to perform on Saturday as part of the “Bethune Retro” festival, organised by the town, which runs from Friday to Sunday.
The decision was taken following an anonymous tip about the group’s links to the neo-Nazi movement. by BFM Grand Lillethe city hall indicated in particular that it had heard of a photo of one of the musicians, sporting a swastika tattooed on his chest. The group is also said to have performed at neo-Nazi festivals. The city hall acknowledged that it had no proof of these accusations, but it said it preferred to cancel the program of the group to preserve the ethics of the festival.
The group does not deny it.
“We announce that we have unfortunately been removed from the festival Bethune Retrobravo to the town hall for their courage in not even warning us,” the Evil Teds reacted on their Facebook page, without denying the information relayed about them.
On this page, where members sometimes pose with a Confederate flag – which has become an emblem of many far-right movements – The Evil Teds present themselves as a “teddy boy rock’n’roll” group. A reference to the “Teddy Boys,” a British rock’n’roll subculture of the 1950s, particularly known for its involvement in racial violence.