Rammstein: Band and politicians react to new allegations

In an Instagram post on Saturday, the band, who is currently on a European tour, writes: “The releases of the last few days have caused irritation and questions among the public and especially among our fans. The allegations hit us all very hard and we accept she extraordinarily serious.” It is important to the band that their fans feel safe “in front of and behind the stage”.

The Rammstein statement goes on to say: “We condemn any kind of abuse and ask you: do not participate in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations. They have a right to their point of view.” At the same time, Rammstein emphasizes: “We, the band, also have a right – namely not to be prejudiced either.” On May 28th, the band had rejected the “accusations circulating on the web” by a young Irish woman about a concert in Vilnius in a few sentences on Twitter.

Greens call for more security for women

From June 7th, the band will play several concerts in Munich, where a total of 240,000 fans are expected. According to a report in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the party “Die Grünen” is now demanding an end to the separate area in front of the stage, known as “Row Zero”. Together with the Pink List, the Greens make up the largest city council group in Munich. They were also able to win over the left and the ÖDP for their application, which is to be submitted today. The “Row Zero” plays an important role in the current reports about Rammstein. There are the young women who, according to the allegations of the band and especially their singer Till Lindemann, were “supplied”.

In their application, the parties call on the district administration department to examine “whether and at which concerts a so-called series zero should be prohibited as a condition for safety reasons”. In addition, it should be checked whether safe spaces for concerts can be made possible at the expense of the organizers. “Just as the presumption of innocence applies to the alleged perpetrator, the allegations of the women concerned must also be heard and taken seriously,” said Mona Fuchs, leader of the Greens parliamentary group. Politicians must create structures that prevent sexualized assaults.

KiWi separates from Lindemann

The allegations against the band weigh heavily: According to reports by a joint research team from the Süddeutsche Zeitung and Norddeutscher Rundfunk, young Rammstein fans were systematically given alcohol and drugs at parties in the backstage area of ​​the concerts. This is said to have led to sexual intercourse – sometimes without the express consent of the women. A total of twelve women reported this, some with affidavits. In the run-up, the women were attracted with free tickets and asked for photos in chat groups. Numerous other women have also contacted the research team in the past few days.

Last Friday, the publishing house Kiepenheuer & Witsch ended its collaboration with Till Lindemann with immediate effect. The well-known Cologne publishing house had published Lindemann’s volumes of poetry “In still nights” and “100 poems”. Publisher Kerstin Gleba wrote in a statement: “We have been shocked to see allegations against Till Lindemann that have become public over the past few days. Our sympathy and respect goes to the women affected.” In a porn video that is circulating on the internet, Till Lindemann celebrates sexual violence against women, citing, among other things, from “In still nights”.

As recently as 2020, the publisher had taken Till Lindemann under its protection. At that time it was about the volume “100 Poems” and rape fantasies in the poem “When you sleep”. The outrage over the text of the poem was based on a confusion between the fictional speaker, the so-called ‘lyrical I’, and the author Till Lindemann, it said in a statement at the time. Now the publisher speaks of a breach of trust – this is “incurably shattered” because the separation between the lyrical I and the author is “derided” by Lindemann himself.

pj/nf (with dpa, Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR)