Rammstein – Respond To Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct

Warning: this article and its linked pages includes mentions of sexual assault.

The allegations initially came from a person who claimed that at the band’s Vilnius show, during the pre party, Till Lindemann approached her and was upset upon being refused sex. She suspects that her drink offered by Till was spiked as she woke up later with bruises and finger marks. The gist of it has been compiled here. A more comprehensive version has been posted in these two Instagram highlights, as well as another highlight with stories from other alleged victims. They also posted about receiving an alleged cease and desist letter.

They also posted the following clarification on Twitter: “I’d like to clarify again. Till did NOT touch me. He accepted I did not want to have sex with him. I never claimed he raped me. Please read the entire Twitter thread for full context before making reports.“

The band’s initial response came on Twitter, as they posted the following: “With regard to the allegations circulating on the internet about Vilnius, we can rule out the possibility that what is being claimed took place in our environment. We are not aware of any official investigations into this matter.“

The band have then posted the following on Instagram, translated from German: “The posts of the last few days have caused irritations and questions to the public and especially our fans. The accusations have hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously. To our fans, we say: it’s important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows – on and off stage. We condemn any kind of trespassing and ask you: do not participate in public prejudice of any kind against those who made the allegations. They are entitled to their way they see things. But we, the band, also have a right – namely not to be prejudiced.“

Following the allegations, Till’s book publishers, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, dropped Till and posted the following statement, translated from German: “It is with shock that we have followed public allegations against Till Lindemann in the last few days. Our sympathy and respect goes to the women affected. In the course of current reporting, 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. We defend the freedom of art with full conviction. Through Till Lindemann’s actions that humiliate women in the aforementioned porn and the targeted use of our book in a pornographic context, the separation between the “lyrical I” and the author/artist, which we so staunchly defended, is mocked by the author himself. From our point of view, 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 with the author has been irretrievably broken.“

For those in need, helplines for sexual assault or other topics for various countries can be found here.