Society: Roth: Allegations against Lindemann “to be taken seriously”

Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth has sharply condemned attacks in culture. “Patriarchal mockery and sexual assaults have no place in the music industry, or in art and culture in general, or anywhere else,” said the Greens politician to the dpa in Berlin.

Several women have raised allegations against Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann, some anonymously, in the past few days. The women describe situations that some of them would have found frightening. Young women were selected during concerts and asked if they wanted to come to the after-show party. According to some women, sexual acts are said to have occurred.

The band is now investigating the allegations. According to dpa information, the Berlin band hired a law firm after the start of the current tour in Vilnius, Lithuania. The WDR and the “Welt” had previously reported on the commission of the law firm.

The aim is therefore to clarify the situation. It is about the use of drugs without the knowledge of those involved in the environment of the concert.

In a statement by Rammstein, it was said that the allegations hit her very hard and that she was taken extremely seriously. “We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows – in front of and behind the stage.” The letter from Saturday evening also said: “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.” But the band also has a right – namely not to be prejudiced either.

Roth: Clear up allegations quickly

“These allegations against Till Lindemann and Rammstein are to be taken very seriously and must be clarified quickly and comprehensively,” said Roth. She welcomes the courage of many young women to speak openly about their sometimes traumatic experiences. At the same time, she condemned “the sometimes aggressive and malicious reactions with which these courageous women are criticized and degraded on social media”.

As long as the allegations are in the room, the preventive should be consistently counteracted. “It is an important step that there will be no more Row Zero and no more after-show parties at the Rammstein concerts in Munich,” said Roth. “This should also apply to all other concerts. The use of awareness teams would also be a good measure.” Row Zero is a fan row in front of the stage barrier.

Four concerts in Munich

Four Rammstein concerts are planned in Munich from Wednesday. Some changes have already been announced there: There should be no so-called row zero in Munich and no after-show parties either. In addition, the management announced an awareness concept, details of which were not yet available. As the German Press Agency learned, the band has also hired a law firm to examine the allegations.

In order to take effective action against abuse of power and sexual assaults in the cultural and creative scene, she presented an “action plan to promote cultural change against sexual harassment and violence in the cultural and media sectors,” said Roth. “One goal is to develop a code of conduct for the entire cultural sector.”

There should be a lot more such codes of conduct in the cultural and creative scene. “We need greater awareness of abuse of power and sexual assault. Male stars in particular should be aware of the responsibility that comes with their celebrity.” Roth sees the music industry with labels, publishers, festivals and event organizers as having a duty.