Bilal Hassani Concert Canceled in Metz Amid Controversy Over LGBT+ Artist

6 April 2023 – bySaid@Bladi · 1 min read

The concert of Bilal Hassani, scheduled for Wednesday evening in the former Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains in Metz, was canceled by the production due to a controversy sparked by the singer’s sexual orientation. The local Catholic and traditionalist community strongly criticized the presence of the Moroccan-origin singer as a standard-bearer of the LGBT+ community.

In a statement, Live Nation, the producer of Bilal Hassani’s tour, explained that the cancellation was due to threats made against the singer and his audience. The production teams and the artist therefore decided, with regret, to cancel the concert to avoid any risk of tension and malice.

The controversy was launched by a post on the blog of the "Lorraine catholique" collective denouncing the "desecration" of the concert venue and calling for a "rosary of reparation" to pray to repair the sins caused by Bilal Hassani’s presence. The collective judged the artist’s performances to be "pornographic".

This controversy was then relayed on social networks by several media close to the far right and identitarian circles. The regional councilor of the Grand-Est region and elected member of the Rassemblement national, Françoise Grolet, had also relayed the call on her social networks.

Category: Culture

Keywords:

Concert Metz Bilal Hassani