Rammstein Respond to Allegations Against Till Lindemann
On the weekend, German band Rammstein responded to testimonies by women that they were recruited to have sex with the band's lead singer, Till Lindemann.
On the weekend, German band Rammstein responded to testimonies by women that they were recruited to have sex with the band's lead singer, Till Lindemann.German rock band Rammstein has released a statement on Instagram in response to accusations of sexual assault and abuse of power against lead singer Till Lindemann.
In the statement, the band urged fans not to "prejudge" in the wake of last week's media reports in Germany, with testimonies from women alleging a systematic process of luring females to backstage parties in order to satisfy Lindemann's sexual demands.
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"The publications of the last few days have caused irritation and questions among the public and especially among our fans," the post on social media began. "The accusations have hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously."
"To our fans we say: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows — in front of and behind the stage."
"We condemn any kind of assault and ask you: Do not participate in pre-judgements of any kind towards those who have made accusations. They have a right to their point of view."
"But we, the band, also have a right — not to be prejudged either."
Aggressive reaction
Last month, Shelby Lynn, a fan from Ireland, traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend a Rammstein concert.
There, she was invited to an after-show party. She reported that, at the party, she met Lindemann, and that he wanted to have sex with her. Lynn said that Lindemann reacted very aggressively when she declined the invitation.
Lynn detailed her suspicions that one of her drinks had been spiked with drugs, owing to the fact that she had no memory of a part of the evening after having only two drinks and a shot of tequila. She says that she was left bruised and vomiting for 24 hours after the concert. Lynn posted a picture of her injuries online and filed a complaint.
On June 2, German public broadcaster NDR and daily Süddeutsche Zeitung published a report with testimonies of women whose experiences mirror Shelby Lynn's, suggesting a systematic process to lure females to after-show parties, who were reportedly specifically chosen to have sex with Till Lindemann.
Publisher KiWi drops Lindemann
In light of the allegations, Lindemann's publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch (KiWi), has dropped him as a client.
The German publishing house released a statement saying it was "shocked" by the allegations against Lindemann, adding its "sympathy and respect goes to the women affected."
KiWi also said that "in the course of the recent reports, we became aware of a porn video in which Till Lindemann celebrates sexual violence against women and in which the 2013 book In Still Night published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch plays a role. We rate this as gross breach of trust and as a ruthless act in relation to the values we represent as a publisher."
"From our point of view," the KiWi statement continued, "Till Lindemann exceeds immovable limits in dealing with women. We have therefore decided to end our collaboration with Till Lindemann with immediate effect, as our relationship of trust has been irretrievably broken."
js/als (with dpa/Süddeutsche Zeitung/NDR)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2023 04:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).