Eagles Of Death Metal vocalist Jesse Hughes and guitarist Eden Galindo were due to appear in court in Paris on Tuesday (May 17) regarding the events of November 13, 2015. The band had been playing at the Bataclan when several heavily armed Islamist terrorists stormed the concert building and opened fire on the audience indiscriminately.
The evening changed his life “forever,” said Jesse Hughes right at the beginning of his hearing in court in Paris. He immediately knew the venue was under attack while the band were performing their song “Kiss The Devil.”
“Coming from a desert community in California, I know the sound of gunshots,” the 49-year-old said, while also implying fear for one’s life. “You could feel the death.” 90 people were killed in the Bataclan, many more injured.
“Legacy of Terror”
Hughes previously said to journalists about the Islamist assassins: “I forgive them and hope that they will find God’s peace themselves.” The singer of the Eagles Of Death Metal is considered a convinced and practicing Christian.
Hughes concluded his testimony by stating that the perpetrators attempted to leave behind a “legacy of terror,” but that ultimately “rock and roll cannot be killed.”
Meanwhile, guitarist Galindo expressed his sadness at the numerous victims and admitted in court that the attack had serious consequences for him. “I live a different life,” he said. “I’ll never be the same again.” Galindo left the Eagles Of Death Metal immediately after the events.
Jesse Hughes’ bizarre statements after the attacks
While the American band was supported by the international music community after the terrorist attack, in which none of the members was injured, Jesse Hughes spoke relentlessly about the events in several interviews afterwards, presenting himself as a gun nut who blamed the police for their hesitation Behavior criticized and members of the Bataclan security service accused of being accomplices of the assassins.
In 2016, this ensured that the singer was turned away at the door when Bataclan reopened in 2016, although he had at least qualified his statements beforehand. A bouncer later called this nonsense and emphasized that the musician didn’t want to go in at all.
The events surrounding the terrorist attack on the Bataclan became the subject of a comprehensive film documentary entitled Eagles Of Death Metal: Nos Amis in 2017.
In Paris, the November attacks are currently being processed in a mammoth trial. In addition to a criminal trial in which 20 accused have to answer for the crimes, including several alleged helpers of the assassins, there is also a civil trial. The main defendant in the criminal case is the only surviving member of the terrorist group, Salah Abdeslam. The verdict is expected at the end of June.
+++ This article first appeared on rollingstone.de +++
<!–
–>
<!–
–>