The wax museum Madame Tussauds has released video footage showing the alleged theft of Matthias Schweighöfer’s figure. In fact, it was a PR stunt – which could now cause trouble.
The Berlin wax museum Madame Tussauds caused a stir on Sunday with a false burglary report. The museum published videos on its own Instagram channel showing how two masked people carried the figure of actor Matthias Schweighöfer out of the building and loaded it into a delivery van. Madame Tussauds writes: “Early on Sunday morning, two people broke into Madame Tussauds Berlin and stole the wax figure of Matthias Schweighöfer. After checking the surveillance cameras, we decided to publish the material.”
It is now clear that the action was not a crime, but a PR stunt, as the Berlin police confirmed to various media. “It currently appears that it could be an advertising campaign by Madame Tussauds and presumably the management of Matthias Schweighöfer,” said police spokesman Martin Halweg on Sunday.
Feigning a crime is itself a criminal offence
And that’s probably where the real trouble for Madame Tussauds begins. Because not only that officers of the criminal police were there for free. According to media reports, the Berlin police are now also investigating suspected faking a crime. “Anyone who commits crimes must expect that we will pursue them,” said the police spokesman RTL. Using something like this to make yourself known is “morally reprehensible”. According to Section 145d of the Criminal Code, faking a crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years or a fine.
Schweighöfer also shared an Instagram story with the alleged theft on Sunday morning. By the early evening, neither Madame Tussauds nor Schweighöfer had resolved that this was a fake.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
