Women’s associations and politicians are mobilizing to force the cancellation of Rammstein concerts in Switzerland and Austria after accusations of sexual assault against the singer of the German metal band. The Swiss Socialist Youth (JS) launched a petition on Thursday evening to have the concerts scheduled for June 17 and 18 canceled in the Swiss capital, although the lawyers for Till Lindemann, the voice and the lyricist of the group, formally deny the accusations made by several young women since May. “These accusations of sexual assault must be taken seriously! The only responsible thing to do in this context is to cancel the concerts, ”said Thomas Bruchez, vice-president of the JS at the Keystone-ATS agency.
On Friday, the petition had collected more than 4,000 signatures out of the 5,000 targeted and they were increasing rapidly, the Swiss press having widely echoed this call. The Swiss Socialist Women, the feminist organization for peace cfd and the NGO against violence against women Brava also support the initiative. In the columns of the Blick tabloid on Friday, the Bernese committee of the feminist strike collective demanded that the organizer give up the concerts and said it was thinking about a possible action in front of the Wankdorf stadium, where the sold-out crowds are to take place. two performances.
In neighboring Austria, the Greens have also called for the cancellation of concerts scheduled for Vienna on July 26 and 27. “It is the responsibility of the organizers not to offer a platform to alleged aggressors,” said Viktoria Spielmann, in charge of women’s issues for the ecologist party. A petition displayed Friday evening nearly 5000 signatures. Rammstein, many of whose songs have very raw sexual references, is the German-speaking group that sells the most albums in the world and its planetary success is also based on the excess of its concerts, with a lot of pyrotechnics and the imposing physical presence of Till Lindemann with his deep bass voice.
The case began at the end of May with the testimony of a 24-year-old Irish woman denouncing the singer and lyricist of the group of drugging and attacking certain women after his concerts. Other young women then testified, all describing more or less the same scenario. The groupies would have been spotted in the front rows of the concerts, filmed or photographed so that Lindemann could make his choice, before for some of them being invited backstage for parties. Rammstein is now suspected to be at the heart of a sexual predation scheme.
Some would then have been drugged before being attacked by the 60-year-old singer. “These accusations are invariably false,” assure Till Lindemann’s lawyers. “We will immediately take legal action for all such allegations,” they threaten.
