Montréal’s La Messe Des Morts Festival Cancelled Due To Antifascist Protests
November 27, 2016, 7 years ago
According to Cult MTL, a group of baton wielding police separated two groups at the intersection of Beaubien and St-Hubert in Montréal on Saturday at the third night of La Messe Des Morts (The Mass Of The Dead), the sixth annual metal festival organized by Montreal record label and promoter Sepulchral Productions. Roughly 100 antifascists sporting black balaclavas and face scarves shouted towards would-be concertgoers dressed mainly in black hoodies scrawled with the names of various metal groups. “Nazi Scum off our streets!” chanted the protesters; “Better dead than red, you bunch of commies,” replied a member of the crowd opposing them.
The three-day festival’s headliner, Graveland, drew heavy criticism from protestors, who allege that the Polish band (and their fans) espouse right-wing views. A small group of militant antifascists organized into a spontaneous collective, called Alerta, in order to protest the band.
The first two nights of la Messe des Morts saw little in the way of drama, as the protesters left the scene by metro, they celebrated their victory, stating that it could not have gone better. Frustrated would-be concertgoers took to the event’s Facebook page to voice their frustrations. “If you are reading this I just want you guys to know that you are the real fascists,” wrote one commenter. “I guarantee that I’ll be buying a ticket next year,” replied another.
Read more at Cult MTL.
