Till Lindemann, the vocalist for German metal band Rammstein – the country’s best-known band throughout the globe – has been accused of sexual assault.
Shelby Lynn, 24, has charged Lindermann, 60, and his crew on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, saying that her drink was contaminated with narcotics when the Irish fan attended the band’s “Row 0” concert in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“Row 0” refers to a unique limited location right in front of the stage allocated for a group of ladies picked by a person identified as Alena Makeeva by Lynn.
Makeeva, whose Instagram handle is “casting director,” is said to utilise social media to recruit young ladies for “Row 0,” so that participants may party with the artists before or after the event.
“Alena Makeeva invited me to row 0 with her.” I messaged her on Instagram last week, asking how she got to the afterparties and expressing my desire to be considered. Lynn says on Twitter, “She asked my age and where I was from, and when I confirmed, she sent me a link to the WhatsApp group.”
Lynn claims she was invited to a party where she met Lindemann, who desired sex with her. When Lynn denied his approaches, the frontman allegedly became hostile. She feels her drink was drugged since she has no recall of the performance and was bruised afterwards. She also claimed to have vomited for 24 hours after the performance.
She has filed a lawsuit and shared images of her injuries online.
Lynn’s statement prompted more reports, which suggested that her case might be part of a larger pattern of abuse.
The German public broadcaster NDR and the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung released an exclusive story that included more than a dozen statements from women whose experiences were similar to Shelby Lynn’s. The investigation reveals a procedure of recruiting beautiful young ladies, many of whom are as young as 22 years old, to participate in after-show parties, where they are allegedly supplied booze and illicit narcotics. The inquiry uncovered a recruiting mechanism that allowed the artist to fulfil his sexual desires with females he found on social media.
The ladies tell how Rammstein’s crew reached them, with some of them being requested to provide images ahead of the event. The chosen ladies were instructed to dress appropriately and were allowed access to “Row 0” for the show. One lady claims she was told explicitly that entrance to the party was exclusively for those who wanted to have sex with Lindemann.
Cynthia A. (pseudonym), then 22, recalls Lindemann inviting her to join him backstage during a performance in 2020. She remembers being led into a separate room for a sexual encounter she couldn’t reject. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, this hurts, let’s hope it’s over soon,’” she adds. “Everything happened extremely quickly and violently.”
On May 28, Rammstein responded to the charges with the following tweet: “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,” they said. “We’re not aware of any official investigations into this matter.”
The band has now published a statement stating that they are taking the complaints extremely seriously and want fans to feel secure both onstage and backstage. The band goes on to say that they “condemn any kind of transgression” and advise fans not to be antagonistic towards the women who have come forward with charges. “The publications of the last few days have caused irritation and questions among the public, especially among our fans,” they say. The accusations have affected all of us hard, and we take them very seriously. We tell our fans, “We want you to feel comfortable and safe at our shows, both in front of and behind the stage.” We condemn any kind of violation and request that you refrain from engaging in public prejudice against people who have made charges. You have the right to express yourself. But we, the band, have a right as well, and that is not to be biassed.”
Many Rammstein fans have said that the band’s Twitter tweets were inadequate, with some ticketholders attempting to sell their existing tour tickets.
A poem by Lindemann from 2020 is also being extensively circulated online amid the current accusations: “I prefer to lie with you while you sleep… A little Rophynol in a glass of wine / You can’t move / You sleep, it’s a joy.”
Lindemann’s book publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, dismissed him as a result of the reports: “It is with shock that we have followed public allegations against Till Lindemann in the last few days.” Our hearts go out to the ladies who have been touched.”
“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 calm night” published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch plays a role,” the statement stated. This is a major violation of trust and a cruel conduct in respect to the ideals we represent as a publisher, in our opinion. We wholeheartedly support artistic freedom. Till Lindemann’s acts that degrade women in the aforementioned porn and the targeted exploitation of our work in a pornographic context ridicule the difference between the “lyrical I” and the author/artist that we so vehemently maintained. Till Lindemann, in our opinion, goes beyond the bounds when it comes to interacting with women. since a result, we have chosen to stop our work with Till Lindemann with immediate effect, since our trust relationship with the author has been irreparably damaged.”
Rammstein’s European stadium tour began on May 22 in Vilnius and will continue throughout the summer throughout Europe.
More in Entertainment: https://buzzing.today/entertainment/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/