His concert in this place desacralized for centuries was denounced by local Catholic movements and the extreme right. In question, the sexual orientation of the former candidate for Eurovision.
Singer Bilal Hassani is canceling his scheduled concert in an old church in Metz on Wednesday April 5, announces event organizer Live Nation. The decision has been made “in view of the threats made against Bilal Hassani and his public” as part of this concert, explains the group in a press release.
The concert of the former French candidate for Eurovision was controversial within local Catholic movements because of the sexual orientation of the singer, claimed flag bearer of the LGBT community. According to France Bleu Lorraine Nord, the Aurora Lorraine collective spoke of a “threat” of which it would be necessary “protect” the building, and called LGBT people “societal cancer”.
“Profanation”, “pornographic” performances
It all started with a message on the blog of the Lorraine Catholique collective, on March 28, shouting at the “desecration” and calling the “faithful Christians” to a collective prayer in front of the concert hall, the former church of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains. Believing that the performances of the singer “are nothing but pornographic”the collective had announced the organization of a “rosary of repair”, a 15-minute gathering before the start of the concert to pray for the atonement of sins.
Relayed on social networks by several media close to the far right and identity circles, their appeal was heard and raised fears of the movement of activists who could go beyond the framework of the department, according to territorial intelligence. “One of the oldest religious buildings in France, now intended for acoustic concerts, must it suffer this outrage in the middle of Holy Week before Easter? Come back to common sense!”wrote the regional councilor Rassemblement national du Grand Est, Françoise Grolet, on her Facebook account, questioning the mayor of Metz, François Grosdidier (ex-LR).
The mayor denounces “obscurantism and extremism”
“This ancient basilica, in the Roman and civil sense of the term and not Christian, linked to water buildings and which saw the inhabitants of the time bathe naked, was only a church for a short time”replied François Grosdidier in a press release. “It has been desecrated for more than 500 years and has today become a performance hall much appreciated by Messins and artists of all kinds”. “I am a councilor who will always oppose obscurantism and extremism whatever they are”he added.
Faced with the mobilization against the arrival of the singer, a second rally supporting the event was planned in Metz, at 7 p.m., a few hundred meters from the church. Declared in the prefecture on Monday, unlike the rosary of reparation, it emanated in particular from the local sections of the National Confederation of Labor and Permanent Revolution, joined by the Communist Party or Metz feminist associations such as Grenada.
The Bilal Hassani concert was sold out (90 seats) on the sales platforms. People with a ticket for this concert are invited by the organizer to approach their point of purchase to obtain a refund.