CDA wants to ban Chris Korda's performance

Chris Korda is coming... Chris Korda is not coming... Chris Korda is coming... etc

posted on: 11-11-2002 19:13:00

Last week it was still certain; the controversial artist Chris Korda would finally take the stage in the Netherlands after a canceled performance at Lowlands earlier this year. But just before the concert in Paradiso, the grumbling began again. "No joke and certainly not art," judged CDA member Hans Res. And so it must be banned.

Last summer, the controversy surrounding the video of Chris Korda, also founder of The Church Of Euthanasia who preaches suicide, was so great that his performance at the Lowlands festival was cancelled. Last week we wrote that a show by Korda had been confirmed for next Wednesday in the upper room of Paradiso.

Hans Res, a municipal councillor for the CDA party, also saw this. He immediately asked questions in the committee meeting 'General Affairs of the Mayor' and made the front page of the Parool on Friday. In response to this, the Public Prosecution Service also looked into the possibilities of banning the performance, but stated through the press officer that the show will continue as long as no criminal offence has been committed.

Res is still trying to stop the performance. "We are afraid that such a show, which by the way has no age limit, will cause too much nuisance to public order and have pointed this out to the mayor. We are still waiting for his answer". Res has not seen the clip, but he has visited the website of The Church Of Euthanasia: "This is not a joke and it is not art either."

Luc Deleau of Paradiso is today convinced that the performance will go ahead: “It was just a bad article from the Parool. It was full of mistakes. There was contact between Paradiso and the city hall before the committee meeting, but there was never any talk of cancellation. Korda's performance will go ahead.”

The lack of a minimum age limit for these types of performances is something that the press officer believes will have to look into in the future. The fact that few tickets have been sold for the show in Paradiso makes no difference to Res. “You have to be prepared for something bad. It would be a shame if someone committed suicide. There are a lot of lunatics around,” according to the CDA member.

The performance is part of a short tour of four European cities. After the performance there will be an opportunity for discussion with the artist, according to the press release.

Source: VPRO

The preceding is a translation. The original language is here.