News•February 8, 2016 3:33 PM ET•7,066 views

Hellfest loses government funding for keeping Down on bill

The director of large French festival Hellfest has apparently had their government grant yanked after refusing to remove Down from the 2016 installment of their festival. Down, of course, is fronted by Phil Anselmo, who is still dealing with the fallout from his actions at Dimebash 2016. According to a report at Ouest France, French politician Bruno Retailleau has sought to have Down kicked off the festival bill, a request that festival organizers have rejected. Festival director Ben Barbaud had this to say (pardon the Google translation):

"They keep their € 20,000 subsidy... Anselmo apologized repeatedly. He even offered to leave the band to do no harm to his comrades, who must also be disgusted. Everyone agrees that this is unacceptable and that the metal scene is neither racist nor anti-Semitic. I know Phil Anselmo very well, who came to Clisson many times. And I am convinced that his apologies are sincere. At Hellfest, we never had this kind of behavior, no one has ever seen or wear distinctive sign or speech, both live and in houses. I deeply believe that he is a good person. It is a provocateur who plays the big guys and loses foot when he's drunk. He made a huge mistake."

Barbaud went on to say that he thinks Down will end up cancelling their European tour, meaning they wouldn't play Hellfest anyway.