French authorities have postponed a court case against Norwegian neo-nazi and black metal musician Varg Vikernes, after Vikernes’ attorney claimed he needed more time to prepare his defense against hate crimes.
Vikernes and his French wife were arrested last summer after she had purchased four rifles, and police feared they were planning a terrorist attack. Vikernes claims they merely planned to hunt for their own food, in an effort to be self-sufficient.
The terrorism charges were later dropped, but police charged Vikernes instead with spreading racism and hatred on the Internet. French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur reported that he faces five years in prison and a fine equivalent to around NOK 360,000.
Vikernes remains an immigrant in France and faced expulsion, but a commission concluded that he didn’t represent a threat to the republic. He emigrated to France after serving 16 years in prison in Norway for murdering a former band partner and setting several churches on fire, including the historic Holmenkollen Chapel in Oslo. It burned to the ground in 1992.
Vikernes’ new trial was set for June 19, 2014.
newsinenglish.no staff
