Global Courant
Prosecutors in Berlin are investigating Rammstein singer Till Lindemann after several women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault and claims that they were drugged and propositioned for sex acts, according to Agence France-Presse (via Barron’s).
“Preliminary proceedings have been initiated against Till Lindemann on allegations relating to sexual offenses and the distribution of narcotics,” a spokeswoman said in a statement, adding that they started the investigation of their own volition. The spokeswoman said she would not be making additional comments so as not to imperil the inquest.
A rep for Rammstein did not return Rolling Stone’s request for comment, although Lindemann’s denied the claims and called them “without exception untrue” to AFP.
In late May, a 24-year-old fan from Northern Ireland named Shelby Lynn claimed someone named Alena Makeeva, who described herself as a “casting director on tour with Till Lindemann,” invited her to a special seating section called “row zero” at Rammstein’s concert in Vilnius, Lithuania. At the concert, the woman claimed, someone led her underneath the stage, where Lindemann allegedly made an advance towards her that she rebuffed. He reacted angrily, according to The Guardian.
The accuser claimed that after consuming a drink she obtained at a pre-show party, she felt like she’d been drugged but later reported that a urine test showed no signs of intoxication. Lithuanian police later interviewed Lynn. Following her accusations, she tweeted: “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.”
After Lynn’s story went viral, other women claimed they had been approached by a casting director who wanted to arrange a rendezvous with Lindemann. One woman, The Guardian reported, claimed to have passed out and woke up to find Lindemann “on top” of her.
Last week, Rammstein posted a statement to their Instagram in German saying that they want their fans to feel safe and comfortable at their concerts. The band also urged fans not to attack Lynn or other accusers. “They are entitled to their way they see things,” they wrote, according to Instagram’s native translation. “But we, the band, also have a right — namely not to be prejudiced.”
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As a band, Rammstein barred the “casting director,” Makeeva, from attending future concerts. After parties for concerts following Rammstein concerts in Munich last week were canceled, it’s been announced that events planned in Berlin are also canceled, according to Barron’s.
Kiepenheuer & Witsch, which published a 2020 book of Lindemann’s poetry, severed ties with the singer, citing the recent accusations and a video in which Lindemann allegedly stuck his penis through a hole in a copy of his own book.
