Photo: WENN
After Eagles Of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes suggested that Bataclan security might have been involed in the Paris terror attacks, the venue have released a statement dismissing the "grave and defamatory accusations."
Hughes' band were performing at the Bataclan back in November, when Islamic extremists burst in with guns, killing nearly 90 people and injuring many more. While the band themselves were unharmed, the incident - as they explained in an interview with Vice - was a harrowing one.
Since then, Hughes has sparked controversy by calling for more people to have guns, saying, "I know people will disagree with me, but it just seems like God made men and women, and that night guns made them equal [...] Maybe until nobody has guns everybody has to have them."
This week, he made more controversial comments - suggesting that the venue's security might have known the attacks were going to happen. "When I first got to the venue and walked in," he told Fox Business Network. "I walked past the dude who was supposed to be the security guard for the backstage."
He continued, "He didn’t even look at me. I immediately went to the promoter and said, 'Who’s that guy? I want to put another dude on.' He said, 'Well, some of the other guards aren’t here yet.' And eventually, I found out that six or so wouldn’t show up at all… Out of respect for the police still investigating, I won’t make a definite statement, but I’ll say that it seems like they had a reason not to show up."
Now, in a statement published in Variety, a rep for the Bataclan called Hughes' claims "insane." They said, "Jesse Hughes spread some very grave and defamatory accusations against the Bataclan teams. A judicial investigation is undergoing. We wish to let justice proceed serenely.
"All the testimonies gathered to this day demonstrate the professionalism and courage of the security agents who were on the ground on November 13. Hundreds of people were saved thanks to [these agents'] intervention."
