A BLACK Metal band has been slammed for displaying a Nazi flag during an university concert. Bangor band Carpathia - who play a form of heavy metal rock music known as Black Metal - hung up a swastika flag at a concert at Bangor University's Ffriddoedd Bar, and it was removed by security at the venue after two songs. North Wales' Jewish community has reacted angrily to the "publicity stunt" concert, which was organised independently from the university, on Saturday, September 25. After the concert, a posting on the band's website read: "Get a life, they are only flags. Would you be more ****** off if we had put a hammer and sickle flag behind the stage? "After all the Communists killed over 100 million of their own people! A lot more than the Nazis - what's the difference, they were equally evil." The band, who describe themselves as "loud, drunk metallers trying to **** people off" go on to say: "People have been spreading numerous rumours about Carpathia such as our political views, such as that we are supporters of Neo Nazi. Where did this come from? Coz a couple of us in the band have skin heads and tattoos? "We are not racist...we go on stage wearing make-up and covered in fake blood and you're going to take us seriously? At the end of the day it's just music, why make it more than that?" Basil Hyman, secretary of Llandudno's synagogue, said: "This is disgraceful really. We lived through those days and atrocities and people will never learn. There are atrocities all over the world and people still do this. It really puts you off hearing about this sort of thing, it really does." One fan said hanging the flag was "both insensitive and ill-informed" but was probably a publicity stunt gone wrong. She said: "Carpathia are most definitely not racist.It was simply a publicity stunt for shock factor that seems to have backfired on them. I don't think it was particularly clever of them and more so it was both insensitive and-ill informed-particularly in such a multi-cultural university city as Bangor. "I'm quite amazed that it took until the second song until the flag was removed. "I sincerely hope people can see through this distasteful incident and see them for who they really are. They are just a group of local talented young lads who are trying to express themselves creatively." Requests to speak to members of Carpathia were not answered at the time of going to press. Black metal is a form of heavy metal rock music. roland.hughes@northwalesnews.co.uk | 
