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.
Rammstein have just embarked upon a European tour
Image: Sebastian Dammark/Gonzales Photo/picture alliance
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.
"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)
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.
"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)
RUSSIA/BARENTS OBSERVER
Activist spent 2.5 years in prison for Rammstein music video.
Andrei Borovikov meets his family and friends right after prison.
Andrei Borovikov meets his family and friends right after prison.
Former head of Alexey Navalny headquarters in Arkhangelsk Andrei Borovikov was released from prison today after he spent 2.5 years behind bars. We spoke to him after his release.
Text:
Elizaveta Vereykina
May 23, 2023
Borovikov was accused of “spreading pornography” for publishing music video “Pussy” by the German band Rammstein on his social media page.
The Barents Observer spoke with Andrei Borovikov today right after his release:
Elizaveta Vereykina
May 23, 2023
Borovikov was accused of “spreading pornography” for publishing music video “Pussy” by the German band Rammstein on his social media page.
The Barents Observer spoke with Andrei Borovikov today right after his release:
Andrei Borovikov on the day of his release from prison in Arkhangelsk.
Photo by: Oleg Borovikov
How do you feel now being free?
I feel like I’m drunk without wine. I feel whole spectrum of feelings. I think I´ll calm down only in few days. But may be even this evening I will get used to the thought that I’m out of the prison barrack.
Do you consider your case political?
Of course! How can you not consider the 2 years in prison for a Rammstein music video not a politically motivated case? 250 thousand VKontakte social network users did exactly the same (posted the exact same video). But it was only me who went to the jail for that. Of course it´s politically motivated case. Especially if you take into account our fight for Shiyes (series of protests against the construction of landfills and waste incinerators in Arkhangelsk region) and my political views.
Are you shocked by how Russia has changed since your imprisonment in 2021?
To say the least! When I went to prison in 2021, back then I thought that Russia was a full dictatorship. But what’s happening now, in 2023… I couldn’t even imagine something like this in 2021. I only could imagine something like this as a plot for a fiction book about some kind of “alternative Russia” fantasies. But now, there is the “Special Military Operation” (official Russian name for the war in Ukraine), mobilisation, all those losses.. And especially what’s going on in the heads of our Russian fellow citizens! What sort of views they have now, what kind of opinions, how much hatred some of our citizens express… I couldn’t even imagine something like this back then.
Are you going to continue your activism now?
I can’t answer this question now. I don’t want to lie. I will think about it and let’s see if it’s possible to live in Russia in 2023 and still remain a person faithful to your views.
How were you treated in the prison?
I had friends there, but also some conflicts. It was a brutal manly environment. Nothing extraordinary, no tortures or something like that.
How do you feel now being free?
I feel like I’m drunk without wine. I feel whole spectrum of feelings. I think I´ll calm down only in few days. But may be even this evening I will get used to the thought that I’m out of the prison barrack.
Do you consider your case political?
Of course! How can you not consider the 2 years in prison for a Rammstein music video not a politically motivated case? 250 thousand VKontakte social network users did exactly the same (posted the exact same video). But it was only me who went to the jail for that. Of course it´s politically motivated case. Especially if you take into account our fight for Shiyes (series of protests against the construction of landfills and waste incinerators in Arkhangelsk region) and my political views.
Are you shocked by how Russia has changed since your imprisonment in 2021?
To say the least! When I went to prison in 2021, back then I thought that Russia was a full dictatorship. But what’s happening now, in 2023… I couldn’t even imagine something like this in 2021. I only could imagine something like this as a plot for a fiction book about some kind of “alternative Russia” fantasies. But now, there is the “Special Military Operation” (official Russian name for the war in Ukraine), mobilisation, all those losses.. And especially what’s going on in the heads of our Russian fellow citizens! What sort of views they have now, what kind of opinions, how much hatred some of our citizens express… I couldn’t even imagine something like this back then.
Are you going to continue your activism now?
I can’t answer this question now. I don’t want to lie. I will think about it and let’s see if it’s possible to live in Russia in 2023 and still remain a person faithful to your views.
How were you treated in the prison?
I had friends there, but also some conflicts. It was a brutal manly environment. Nothing extraordinary, no tortures or something like that.
Andrei Borovikov leaving prison after 2,5 years behind bars.
Borovikov´s case was opened after a man from Arkhangelsk named Alexander Durynin complained about Borovikovs Rammstein video post to the Russian anti-extremist police. Durynin, who back then pretended to be just a volunteer in the Navalny Arkhangelsk headquarters (now recognised as extremist organisation by the Russian law), turned out to be a police informer, as activists realised.
Before this “spread of pornography” case, Borovikov was also sentenced to 400 hours of corrective labor for allegedly “violating rules of protesting” during the protests in Shiyes, where thousands of protesters demanded to stop the construction of landfills in the Arkhangelsk region.
In 2020 Amnesty International made the statement that the case against Borovokov was politically motivated: “Andrei Borovikov - is a civil and political activist, who is fighting for public interest on different issues. His opinion often differs from that of the authorities and his critical opinion is not liked by some of them”, - The Amnesty International stated.
In June 2021 everything that has any connection with now imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny Russian authorities labelled as “extremist” and “foreign agent”: Navalny´s headquarters, Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation and also Civil Rights Foundation. Police raids have been conducted all over Russia and many of the Navalny headquarters coordinators were given prison terms.
Borovikov´s case was opened after a man from Arkhangelsk named Alexander Durynin complained about Borovikovs Rammstein video post to the Russian anti-extremist police. Durynin, who back then pretended to be just a volunteer in the Navalny Arkhangelsk headquarters (now recognised as extremist organisation by the Russian law), turned out to be a police informer, as activists realised.
Before this “spread of pornography” case, Borovikov was also sentenced to 400 hours of corrective labor for allegedly “violating rules of protesting” during the protests in Shiyes, where thousands of protesters demanded to stop the construction of landfills in the Arkhangelsk region.
In 2020 Amnesty International made the statement that the case against Borovokov was politically motivated: “Andrei Borovikov - is a civil and political activist, who is fighting for public interest on different issues. His opinion often differs from that of the authorities and his critical opinion is not liked by some of them”, - The Amnesty International stated.
In June 2021 everything that has any connection with now imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny Russian authorities labelled as “extremist” and “foreign agent”: Navalny´s headquarters, Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation and also Civil Rights Foundation. Police raids have been conducted all over Russia and many of the Navalny headquarters coordinators were given prison terms.
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