Istanbul authorities on Tuesday banned concerts by two foreign rock bands, Slaughter to Prevail and Behemoth, following accusations of “satanism” by Islamist commentators.
The Besiktas district governor’s office in Turkey’s largest city justified the decision, stating that the concerts had provoked a “public reaction” due to their “incompatibility with our societal values.”
The Zorlu Center, where the metal bands were scheduled to perform on Tuesday and Wednesday, was barred from hosting events until Thursday.
Opposition to the concerts was amplified by the newspaper Yeni Akit, which is closely aligned with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The paper called for the concerts to be banned under the headline “The Satanist children of the devil are arriving in Istanbul.” It claimed the bands had previously been banned in Russia and Poland for allegedly spreading satanic propaganda and “poisoning the spirit of young people”.
Slaughter to Prevail, a deathcore band formed in Russia and now based in the United States, includes a British lead guitarist. Behemoth are a Polish death metal group.
Yeni Akit alleged that the bands promote Satanism through their lyrics and visuals depicting the devil, adding that Turkish social media platforms had been inundated with calls for the concerts to be cancelled.
Slaughter to Prevail vocalist Alex Terrible said in a video posted on Instagram that an “Islamist group” had exerted pressure on the government to block the performances.
He rejected the allegations of Satanism as “completely untrue” and said he believes in God. However, he added that the band could not oppose the Turkish government, describing the situation as “very sad”.
