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Report: Eagles of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes Kicked Out of Bataclan Over Controversial Comments [UPDATE]

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - MARCH 12: Singer Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal performs during 2016 Lollapalooza Brazil at Autodromo de Interlagos on March 12, 2016, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Victor Moriyama/Getty Images)

Paris’s Bataclan theater barred Eagles of Death Metal‘s Jesse Hughes and the band’s manager from attending Saturday night’s concert by Sting, Agence France-Presse and Le Monde report. The Sting show marked the venue’s first reopening since the terror attacks that killed 89 people during an Eagles of Death Metal concert on November 13, 2015. Bataclan co-director Jules Frutos said he hasn’t forgiven frontman Jesse Hughes for interview comments implying that venue security staff somehow had knowledge of the attack.

“They came, I threw them out—there are things you can’t forgive,” Frutos said. Earlier this week, Frutos said of Hughes, “He makes these incredibly false declarations every two months. It is madness, accusing our security of being complicit with the terrorists. … Enough. Zero. This has to stop.”

After first apologizing for his comments, Hughes renewed them in a later interview, claiming he’d seen “Muslims celebrating in the street during the attack.” Two French music festivals canceled appearances by Eagles of Death Metal in response.

Hughes and his manager are reportedly in Paris to participate in a memorial ceremony outside the Bataclan on Sunday. Eagles of Death Metal also recently announced plans to release a documentary based on their experiences during and after the Paris attacks.

Update, 8:45 p.m. EST: In a statement to Billboard, Eagles of Death Metal representative Marc Pollack denied that Hughes attempted to enter the Bataclan and called Frutos a “coward.” Read his full statement below.

This day is not about Jesse Hughes or Eagles of Death Metal. In fact, Jesse is in Paris to share in remembering the tragic events of a year ago with his friends, family and fans. This is about recalling the tragic loss of life that happened right in front of his eyes during his show, and this coward Jules Frutos feels the need to soil his own club’s reopening by spreading false tales to the press, and tainting a wonderful opportunity that could’ve been used to spread peace and love, to further spread mean spirited words of hate. Jesse never even tried entering the club for Sting’s show tonight.

[Pitchfork]