The Fireworks and the Tweet

Original article found at: The Hutson Street Journal

Date published: November 15, 2018

Written by: Mary Schneider

Recent events bring to light the need of extra security measures.

The Mayoral Rally that happened on October 8th between candidates Leon Abbot and David Pink, could have ended in tragedy when, during the concert of Grammy winners, European rock band Vaarallinen, someone from the crowd threw some fireworks at the band, at one of the candidates, and also towards the defenseless public behind.

Usual social media bickering aside, the subject was left relatively quiet, until something said in Twitter rubbed Erik Severn, one of the band’s members, the wrong way; and he came forth to say exactly what he thought of such comment, and even posed for us for the article. A print of the offensive tweet is also included in this article, with blurred name of the offensive party.

Erik Severn: This is the ultimate lack of responsibility. It could have burned the whole stage, hurt someone seriously, and it was said it was a ‘harmless prank’. There is nothing harmless in fireworks. It’s nothing poetic. Michael Jackson and many other celebrities suffered those on the stage. More than one animal died out of a heart attack afraid of the noise, more of one family lost a home when a firework rained over their houses. Whoever lost one that way knows what I am talking about. The pain of the loss and the emotional trauma one has to go through due to someone else’s irresponsible manifestation of joy is neither a harmless prank or something that should be approached lightly or mocked about.

Severn most certainly wasn’t happy. His face was was devoid of emotion, and whoever deals with the normally cheerful 22 years old singer, knows him to be bubbly and charming.

He answered my next question without hesitation.

Mary Schneider: But what exactly happened there?

ES: It was exactly that. Two teens pointed fireworks at people and shot. From then on chaos ensued.

MS: What is being said on twitter that made you so angry you felt the need to come forth?

ES: I am not going to mention names, and tweets go fast, so the comment will go unseen pretty soon, but I can still quote it verbatim: “Oh your -add bad name and referrals here- decided to shoot and assault my fiance for pulling a harmless prank at the rally.” I mean, really? I was aghast. Horrified. Disgusted, really. Because this was told like, I think I can explain to you more logically.

MS: Go on.

ES: Suppose a lady has a son. Her little son, that she nurtured, breast fed, changed diapers, loved since he was an idea on her mind until it became a reality and for like more or less until he had the age of playing video games. But one day, her sweet innocent son gets a magnum 44 from some friend, enters a school and shoots other students. He has a bad aim or whatever and no one but a lamp dies, but the incident leaves a LOT of people scared, one of the janitors even has a heart attack. Then a teacher manages to tackle and stop the boy before he does kill someone. But, enters supermom, whacking that teacher for tackling her armed kid and then she says, “Oh that teacher assaulted my son for a little harmless prank.” How many shades of absurd does that sound to you? Now replace school for bank, concert, church, mall. Replace son with husband, father, fiancee. Replace the magnum 44 with a flare, a firework, a crossbow, a knife. Replace that teacher with cops, or simply someone with more guts that will try to stop worse consequences from happening. Replace that janitor with someone traumatized with guns and explosions for whichever reason. See what I am saying? The situation was the same. Someone, with some “weapon”, shoots at bystanders. And someone tried to stop them. Then a third person calls that a little prank, diminishes the gesture in great mockery, and defends the assailant. Seriously? That’s offensive. How much you have in cash in order to bribe a defense lawyer to come up with creative ways to call that anything but a crime attempt?

MS: David Pink was seen with a gun. Did he shoot anyone?

ES: I honestly wish he had. Twitter allegations from the same source says that David was defending his lover. Well, said lover was defending all of us from the assailant. From up the stage, it was a very logical chain of events. Someone shoots at us: David, Callith (another band member), the public. Man jumps on assailant. Someone jumps the man trying to protect us from the assailant. David tries to protect-get the idea? David would never have hurt any of us. I may not see eye to eye with the man, but fair is fair. David is the band’s manager in the USA, I realize we give hell to each other, and if there’s anyone in that scene he’d want to hit, is me. Yet, I know he’d never pull a gun to my face. But that firework pointed at him and at Callith WAS, too, a lethal weapon. It was self defense. I would go as far as say it was a defense to people that were not capable to defend themselves at the time.

MS: So you do consider a crime attempt?

ES: Absolutely yes. Given that the band and [David] Pink are targets of crimes of late, it could easily have been premeditated. But we don’t know that, there is no proof. So while I would question the premeditation, I’d call that an arson or murder attempt and I do not take kindly when people diminish it. If it happened to her, rape, that is apparently a fashionable crime as of late; and I looked at her and told her that it was nothing, just a harmless little thing because everybody loves sex, I wonder if she would react the same way. She’d probably be here in my stead.

MS: And are you mad at her, the boys, or at David Pink, for the way this party ended?

ES: I am absolutely not mad at (David) Pink for what he did in there in regards to self defense. The thing burned his throne or something. Could have been his hair and the man was full of stitches. Probably they snapped open. I am not mad at the kid that came and apologized either. But yes I am mad at the one who didn’t and at the lady that defended what, for me, was a crime attempt, and disregarded feelings about it in the worse manner possible, that without thinking of other people, considering their feelings or their own facts on the matter.

MS: What do you expect as the outcome for this?

ES: Being that one of the shooters came forth to apologize and ended up becoming a good friend of the band, I will confess that, at first I expected an apology from her as well. Callith had been surged two weeks ago. He did the concert under extreme duress, and he’d have left that stage with nothing but exhaustion and adrenaline drop-out. But no, because of the fireworks, he left there straight to an ICU. And this is hardly harmless and without consequence. Yet, the person that said that, not only went nasty about it, she also blamed her hormonal imbalance due to her pregnancy to act nasty with him and other people over social media. I gave up receiving any apologies for her tactless opinion. So my stance stands. The act was criminal, one of the shooters doesn’t give a damn and probably would do it again, and his fiance, well, apparently she condones it. Probably thinks his victims deserve it. Even if we were nothing but nice to her. I am not into children, but I pity hers. I also expect that the new mayor will look kindly upon enhancing security at events and as in many countries, at least proposes a law, if it doesn’t exist already, that turns into crime to point flares, fireworks and such devices at people, animals and vegetation, and even buildings. Not even cool to point at the ocean, but lately the wrapping, is becoming biodegradable. Unfortunately, no mayor, judge or president can pass a law forcing people to have some common sense when defending a dear one or being nice on social media. Cyberbullying is a severe cause of depression and even suicide all over the world, but that’s a subject for another time.”

At the point this interview was concluded, Erik Severn had plane tickers to Finland.

Have a safe flight Erik!