Rammstein will perform three times in Berlin in mid-July as part of this year’s European tour. The concerts, which have long been sold out, have been overshadowed by allegations of sexual assault against lead singer Till Lindemann.
Two petitions, while signed by about 100,000 people, put the organizers of the events under pressure: “The Rammstein concerts must be canceled! Berlin must not become a place for sexual abuse!
The singer and the band have denied the accusations.
While the investigation of the case has now been launched, various politicians and public personalities have commented on the case.
The German Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Lisa Paus does not believe that the accusations against Rammstein singer Till Lindemann are an isolated incident. “Without prejudging the specific case, the way I see the discussion, we have a problem with the structure of the concert scene that is now finally being discussed,” he said in picture last Sunday newspaper. Paus sees it as the task of the organizers to “protect especially the young fans.”
‘Misogyny and racism always go hand in hand’
Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism, also commented on the requested cancellation. He considers it “questionable whether the planned Rammstein concerts in Berlin should take place in the Olympic Stadium, which is run by the state,” Felix Klein told Funke Mediengruppe newspapers on Monday.
“Anti-democratic discrimination such as antisemitism, misogyny and racism always go hand in hand,” Klein continued, pointing out that Rammstein was also accused of mocking Holocaust victims through their video for the song ” Deutschland” from 2019, which shows among other scenes the band members dressed as concentration camp prisoners and as Nazis.
“We need to take women’s concerns seriously, just as we need to take Jews seriously when it comes to antisemitism,” Klein said. “We must not allow the boundaries of what can be said and done to be pushed further and further, even if it is under the guise of artistic freedom.”
Solidarity with the alleged victims
At the same time, 60-year-old Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann has already called his lawyers and sent cease and desist letters. “It has been repeatedly claimed that women were given date rape drugs or alcohol at Rammstein concerts so that our client could perform sexual acts on them. These allegations are without exception untrue,” they said.
The women who are now receiving letters from Lindemann’s lawyers are getting celebrity support. To prevent alleged victims from fearing legal fees, YouTuber Rezo, actress Nora Tschirner and German comedian Carolin Kebekus are calling for donations on Instagram, “to allow a fair chance in the case,” said Tschirner.
The prosecuting attorney investigating Rammstein
Following reports of accusations against the Rammstein singer, the public prosecutor’s office in Berlin opened an investigation against him. This was done on the basis of several reports of violation by the police, it said.
Several women have made serious accusations against Lindemann in recent weeks.
The wave of accusations follows an initial testimony posted on various social media platforms by Shelby Lynn from Northern Ireland, in which she described how she was drugged and injured after a party in backstage at a Rammstein concert in Lithuania. He told DW about the threats he has faced since: “There have been death threats and gifts for me, 200,000 whatever, things like – direct quote – ‘I want to find you and torture you; May you die; liar, whore; slut; groupie; what do you expect when you’re dressed like this?'”
Lynn says she is not intimidated by these threats. “All I care about is getting these voices to be truly heard for once. And if it means I have to be the one to face the onslaught of hate, I don’t care. Go ahead.”
Meanwhile, in daily interviews Southgerman newspaper and public broadcaster NDR, also described other women who were specifically recruited to have sex with the singer. Two women also reported alleged sexual acts that they did not consent to. The band denied the allegations.
Stars in a position of power
According to Paus, the case reveals a fundamental problem: “Some public events are not organized in such a way that women and girls feel safe.” There are “stars who clearly abuse their position of power over women,” she said. These two things must change, the minister requested.
Even if the cancellation of the concerts is not possible – there are also petitions against the tour of the singer Roger Waters, who is accused of antisemitism – at least it is certain that there will be no parties after the show in Berlin, as the Senator of Berlin for The Interior and Sports Iris Spranger announced last week.
However, the criticism did not seem to affect the success of the band Rammstein. In the latest Top 100 album charts, the group is represented again with six of the eight studio albums to date, and all have done well in the acquisition.
This article was originally written in German and adapted to English by Louisa Schaefer. The interview with Shelby Lynn was conducted by Giulia Saudelli.
