“We, the band, have a right as well, namely not to be prejudiced.” Rammstein published a statement in response to the allegations leveled against frontman Till Lindemann, who was fired by his book publisher after being accused of drink spiking and sexual assault. The claims against the German singer-songwriter initially surfaced last month, when a fan claimed to have been spiked at a pre-show party on social media.
According to Loudwire, the charges came from Shelby69666, a Reddit member who published a now-deleted post titled “Fuck Rammstein” that included a photo of a massive bruise with the text “Spiked, no idea when this happened.” According to the report, she had attended the band’s concert the day before in Vilnius and had been invited to a pre-party by a crew member. Following the removal of multiple threads linked to the initial update from Reddit due to it being considered hearsay, an account with the username Shelby69666 appeared on Twitter, elaborating on the charges.
The user explained that she had contacted a crew member who allegedly recruits women to stand in the front row at Rammstein concerts, and that she was later escorted with a group of women to “Row 0” — a pre-party where she was allegedly spiked and shouted at by the frontman when she refused to have sex with him. Following the charges, Lindemann’s book publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, has abandoned him, and the band has released a second statement online.
The publishing house, also known as KiWi, announced the news on Twitter, writing (translated from German): “It is with shock that we have followed public allegations against Till Lindemann in the last few days.” Our hearts go out to the women who have been affected.” It also cited a recently-earthed “porn video in which Till Lindemann celebrates sexual violence against women” as a factor in the decision to part ways with the singer, as well as citing Lindemann’s book of poetry On Quiet Nights, which was published by the company and included erotica sections. The latter was defined as a “gross breach of trust” and “a ruthless act in relation to the values we represent as a publisher.”
“From our perspective, Till Lindemann goes beyond immovable limits in dealing with women,” it said. “As a result, we have decided to terminate our collaboration with Till Lindemann with immediate effect, as our trust relationship with the author has been irreparably damaged.”
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Responding to both the publishing house’s statements and Tagesschau’s charges, the band refuted all allegations on social media once more, and urged fans not to engage in the “public prejudice” against the members and those making accusations. “The recent publications have caused annoyance and confusion among the general public, particularly among our fans.” “The allegations have hit us all hard, and we take them very seriously,” the statement said.
“We tell our fans: It’s important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows, both on and off stage.” “We condemn any kind of transgression and request that you refrain from engaging in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations,” the statement said. “You have a right to your opinion. But we, the band, have a right as well, and that is not to be prejudiced.” At the time of writing, Lindemann’s upcoming gigs, including a solo show at London’s Wembley Arena, were still slated to take place as planned. NME has reached out to Lindemann and Rammstein for additional comment.