In September 2019, Nergal posted a picture on social media where a foot stood on a portrait depicting the Virgin Mary.
It prompted two Polish conservative organizations to draw the authorities' attention to the fact that Nergal had hurt the religious feelings of four people.
Penis on a cross
It is illegal in Poland to hurt someone's religious feelings by humiliating an object of worship, according to section 196 of the Polish Criminal Code.
- Many Polish artists and musicians have been prosecuted for violating section 196. Among others, the Polish artist Dorota Nieznalska.
She was prosecuted at the turn of the millennium after putting a penis on a cross in an installation, says music journalist Fredrik Strage.
- But Poland is still not quite as restrictive as Russia.
The Polish national conservatives love to report artists to the police, but this rarely leads to real prison sentences, says music journalist Fredrik Strage.
Fundraising for the legal battle
A court in Warsaw this week sentenced Nergal to a fine of just over SEK 34,000.
He has now chosen to appeal and the case will go to court.
Prior to this, he has started a fundraiser where the money goes to the legal battle and the fight to abolish section 196. At present, the fundraiser has received a little more than 390,000 kronor.
- Nergal is a very famous person in Poland, he is not an obscure black metal musician who sits in a basement and worships satan.
In fact, he is probably not a Satanist in the religious sense.
Nergal uses Satanism rather as a symbol to protest against injustices, says Fredrik Strage.
Tore the Bible apart
Over the past 15 years, Nergal has repeatedly been in legal conflict with the Polish state.
The most famous is when he was accused of tearing a Bible during a gig in 2007. He won that case.
Kulturnyheterna has contacted the Polish embassy for a comment.