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Watain - Guitarist Denied From Entering U.S., Not Performing On Tour


Guitarist of Swedish black metal purveyors Watain Pelle Forsberg has been denied from entering into the United States and will consequently miss the group's whole US tour with Morbid Angel and Incantation. Read the full statement below.

Comments Watain: "We regret to inform you that US authorities has decided to ban Watain's guitarist Pelle Forsberg from entering their country. Erik, Alvaro, Hampus and Emil have after a week of uncertainty just arrived in the States, unfortunately not in time to go through with tonight's show in Houston.

"Here is what happened: Upon his entry to the States last week, Pelle was unprovokedly taken into custody, locked up in a cell and interrogated during an entire night, only to finally have his newly approved US Working Visa -which he has been granted 5 times prior to this one- revoked and made void. He was thereafter deported back to Mexico where he had been prior to the tour. This radical and fatal decision, made by a random custom officer who happened to be on duty that day, was based on google searches on Watain made during the Pelle's incarceration, as well as private pictures found on his phone of motorbikes, hunting and various things related to Satanism, Black Metal and counter culture in general. Stuff this officer didn't understand, or like.

"As if this was not enough, the US border authorities furthermore also decided to direct their suspicion towards the rest of the band as well, one day before we were scheduled to leave, forcing us to discard of our tickets and stay home.

"However, after several days and nights of hard and excruciating -and obviously ridiculously expensive- work from lawyers and management (anyone who has tried to question a claim made by US authorities in the past years could possibly relate here), we were finally given permission for the other four Watain members to enter the States. This means Watain will be forced to perform as a four piece on this tour, with Alvaro on guitar and Erik handling bass and vocals. We have barely had time to rehearse, and since Pelle has many other duties in Watain other than playing guitar, many things have had to be re-organized. We have already lost several thousands of dollars in lawyer costs, new last minute flights, new visa embassy appointments and so forth.

"We do not ask for your pity here, everyone who chooses to do what we do has to be prepared to meet opposition in all its shitstained, imbecile shapes every now and then. But we do ask for your understanding. And if you want to truly support Watain in this critical time, coming out to the shows and buying tour merch will now be more appreciated than ever, since the economical damage is quite severe already. Other than that, this entire debacle has only filled us with more anger and force, now ready to be unleashed on the 26 shows ahead.

"Pelle had nothing illegal on his phone. He did not behave suspiciously or provokingly. All this comes down to one grumpy officer doing the last hours of his shift, disapproving of Pelle's appearance, private life or ways of expression. We would like to remind you that this is not a cautionary tale from 1980s Soviet, this is Trump-administered border policy in today's United States. This is what you get with an imbecile, Christian, racist ape ruling the nation and "defending it at all cost" from anything that can be considered alien and therefore unacceptable and potentially dangerous."


Courtesy of the band's Facebook page


Here is a statement from Pelle: "All this started with a personal vacation in Mexico to experience Dia de los Muertos, before going to the States to start rebuilding the stageshow for this tour. I got stopped at the border control in Atlanta, apparently I was red flagged because I already had a return ticket to Mexico the day after (cheaper to get the ticket like that). But all good, I had NO bullshit on me, with me or whatever. All papers/visas were under control. But then they proceeded with checking my phone to see "who I was" basically. After that, they had me interrogated by 4 different officers for 7 hours. Then they asked me fill out a form where I responded "yes" to "have you been treated bad by any officer", and then all hell broke loose. Never in my life was I ever treated this shit! No information, no phonecalls, if I asked about something I just got a "shut up, we are making the rules!" screamed at me. Got thrown into a cell with just a bean bag as a bed next to a toilet. Bright lights all night for 8 hours.

"I don't have any illegal stuff on my phone nor a criminal record. For sure some pics can be disturbing for "normal people". I don't live a normal life. It's pics of me riding bikes with friends (that may have a questionable club patches/bikes etc), me chopping heads off road kills, welding weird things that look "frightening", pics from tours where obviously weird shit happens all the time etc etc etc. Again, nothing illegal, no bullshit! Of course they also started to google Watain and of course they stumble upon these lowlife fuckfaces that accuse Watain of being a right wing band. This tiresome lie that has been going on for a while now, didn't really help me in this situation. And in the end, this is just about a little border officer that didn't like what he saw and read on the internet, who in turn decides that I, one of the founding members of Watain, CAN'T JOIN THIS TOUR! Be sure that I will fight this because this 5 year ban from the States has ABSOLUTELY no ground at all!

"But to all of you crazy fuckers out there! Watain never surrenders! Alvaro takes my guitar and Erik takes the bass once again! Join them! FUCK THE WORLD! I'll be back!"

Source: facebook.com
Band profile: Watain
Posted: 22.11.2019 by Abattoir


Comments

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Comments: 17   Visited by: 143 users
22.11.2019 - 10:22
The Entity

It is not suprising, simular stuff happened before Trump too.
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https://enigmaticalofficial.bandcamp.com/
Industrial / Cosmic Black Metal
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22.11.2019 - 11:55
Lanthros

I have to point out one thing. Trump is NOT a Christian. Every other descriptor of him is accurate though.
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22.11.2019 - 11:56
Lanthros

Written by The Entity on 22.11.2019 at 10:22

It is not suprising, simular stuff happened before Trump too.

It's been far far worse under trump. He has enacted blatantly fascist policies.
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22.11.2019 - 16:07
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Before this gets too spicy, let's try to be civil about the topic at hand.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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22.11.2019 - 16:22
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Wow I can't believe this...








...I always thought Watain was a US band
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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22.11.2019 - 17:22
SatanicBlood

I've been seeing this more and more happening. And with it, I have seen bands do exclusive Canadian tours in the process. We may have a smaller amount of major cities to cover, longer distances to drive, profits in the red, death trap road conditions, I forgot where I was going with this.
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22.11.2019 - 18:36
IBlackened

Probably just an upstanding christian who didn't like his satanic band.
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Their old stuff is better.
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22.11.2019 - 18:59
Nick Carter

He probably got stopped by a stupid christian officer, but the permission was denied because of Nazi Propaganda. Making stupid things always have some cost in life.
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#MetalIsForEveryone
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22.11.2019 - 19:48
no one

How fucking ridiculous.

I actually thought the right wing thing might have made him more welcome.
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22.11.2019 - 19:55
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by SatanicBlood on 22.11.2019 at 17:22

I've been seeing this more and more happening. And with it, I have seen bands do exclusive Canadian tours in the process. We may have a smaller amount of major cities to cover, longer distances to drive, profits in the red, death trap road conditions, I forgot where I was going with this.

You were making your pitch to our federal government for Canada's tourist slogan.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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22.11.2019 - 19:56
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by no one on 22.11.2019 at 19:48

I actually thought the right wing thing might have made him more welcome.

Just goes to show how culture trumps political ideology for some people.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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22.11.2019 - 23:50
SatanicBlood

Written by Troy Killjoy on 22.11.2019 at 19:55

Written by SatanicBlood on 22.11.2019 at 17:22

I've been seeing this more and more happening. And with it, I have seen bands do exclusive Canadian tours in the process. We may have a smaller amount of major cities to cover, longer distances to drive, profits in the red, death trap road conditions, I forgot where I was going with this.

You were making your pitch to our federal government for Canada's tourist slogan.
Ah yes, "Welcome to Canada! The only grilling our border will do is cheese on bread."
Alternatively, "We are charity work."
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26.11.2019 - 19:40
Ilham
Giant robot
Written by SatanicBlood on 22.11.2019 at 23:50

Ah yes, "Welcome to Canada! The only grilling our border will do is cheese on bread."

Oh how naïve and innocent.
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26.11.2019 - 19:42
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by Ilham on 26.11.2019 at 19:40

Written by SatanicBlood on 22.11.2019 at 23:50

Ah yes, "Welcome to Canada! The only grilling our border will do is cheese on bread."

Oh how naïve and innocent.

I was waiting for you to see that comment lol
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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26.11.2019 - 19:54
Ilham
Giant robot
Written by Troy Killjoy on 26.11.2019 at 19:42

I was waiting for you to see that comment lol

You know my pain too well . I basically start having nightmares about it as soon as I know I'm visiting. It's intensifying, it's so close now.
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29.11.2019 - 20:44
no one

Wonder what the questionable patches were? Probably something us "normal" people wouldn't understand
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30.11.2019 - 15:31
Archie 666

This is very bad, very not good situation people. God bless America! The greatest country in the USA
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