Burzum’s Varg Vikernes to Stand Trial for Inciting Racial Hatred + Glorifying War Crimes
In July, Burzum mastermind and convicted murderer Varg Vikernes was arrested for suspicion of planning a "massacre." The musician's wife was also arrested, the duo spending a small amount of time behind bars while an investigation took place. Vikernes and his wife were originally released without authorities pressing charges against them, but Varg will indeed stand trial in Paris for inciting racial hatred and glorifying war crimes on the Internet. The trial was originally slated to begin this month, but has been pushed back to June 2014.
Varg Vikernes is an outspoken racist and a supporter of the French National Front. He also spent 15 years in prison after stabbing Mayhem bandmate Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth to death in 1993. As for his latest arrest, French authorities suspected Vikernes of potential terrorism after he received a manifesto from mass murderer Anders Breivik, who killed 77 during an Oslo, Norway bombing and shooting spree. “[Vikernes receiving Breivik's manifesto] was at the origin of the investigation,” says a spokesperson for the anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office, which has been put in charge of the investigation of the Burzum musician. “There were several suspicions that made the services fear he could possibly carry out a violent act.”
The International Business Times reported this morning (Oct. 17) that Varg Vikernes will stand trial. The musician's official blog is extremely dense in content, some of which is based in racism and anti-Semitism. These blog posts have landed Vikernes in trouble with the law once again. According to BBC, Vikernes will stand trial in June 2014 and according to UPI, Vikernes could get five years in prison for his alleged offenses.
"We want to sue the authorities for arresting us for no good reason whatsoever, doing so in the most brutal way possible and with children present, and also for without any reason taking away our right to own or even possess weapons," Varg wrote shortly after his July arrest. "The only problem is that we can not afford to sue them, and we see no other solution to this than to ask for help from you. It pains me much to do so, and I have struggled a lot with myself to make me do this, but I think this is the right thing to do right now." Vikernes is now accepting donations for this legal issues.
For more straight from Varg Vikernes and his wife Marie, check out this interview with the duo below. Stay tuned for further developments on Vikernes' trial.
Varg Vikernes + Wife Marie Discuss 2013 Arrest