According to a lengthy statement issued by Rammstein‘s drummer Christoph Schneider, he said that Till Lindemann, the band’s frontman, has distanced himself from the rest of the group and created his own isolated world in recent years amid recent allegations.
Full statement reads as follows:
Dear people,
I would like to share my personal emotions and thoughts with you.
The accusations of the last few weeks have deeply shaken us as a band and me as a human being. You fans certainly do the same. I feel shocked by the things shared and printed on social media and the press about our singer. For us band members and the crew, this is a moment and on the emotions.
No, I don’t think anything criminally relevant (such as the use of KO drops) has happened. No. I don’t think anything forbidden was going on, I’ve never observed anything like this and I haven’t heard anything like it from anyone from our hundred-member crew. All I heard from Till’s parties were adult people who celebrated together. And yet apparently things have happened that – although legally ok – I personally don’t think are okay.
Certain structures have grown that went beyond the limits and values of the remaining band members. It is therefore also important to us that Till’s parties are not confused with our official aftershow parties.
Till has moved away from us in recent years and created his own bubble.
With your own people, your own parties, your own projects. That made me sad, definitely.
I believe Till when he tells us that he always wanted and wants to give his private guests a nice time. However, how these guests had imagined this exactly seems to differ from his own ideas in some cases. The wishes and expectations of the women who have now come forward were probably not fulfilled. According to their statements, they felt uncomfortable, on the sidelines of a situation that was no longer controllable for them. I’m sorry for her and I feel compassion.
Nevertheless, it is important to me to emphasize something objective: Every guest in the backstage area is free to leave again (he may have to wait a short time to be safely brought to the exit by a security). All bottles are sealed and are freshly opened in front of the guests or they open them themselves.
Water and snacks are just like security personnel and medical care
Available at any time.
We want all our guests to feel comfortable and safe with us!
This is our standard. That’s why I’m sorry to hear that some people didn’t feel that way.
We have the greatest fans in the world and they all deserve respectful treatment!
I’m sorry for everyone who didn’t treat us benevolently or feel insecure backstage. Also for Shelby, she would have deserved a great concert and a wonderful evening.
But I don’t want this whole public dispute about our band to feed the extremes:
Neither the beast social media, which has not been tamed by our society or not, nor paternalistic tendencies to deny women in their mid-20s the ability to decide self-determined about their sexuality and also by no means the victim blaming, so that people continue to dare to talk about it when something has happened to them.
I wish for a calm, prudent reflection and processing, also in our band. And all together, six.
We stand together.
Your Christoph Schneider
Berlin prosecutors are investigating Till Lindemann, the lead singer of Rammstein, for alleged sexual assault.
Multiple women have accused Lindemann of drugging them and engaging in sexual activity during after-show parties. The Berlin public prosecution’s office has initiated preliminary proceedings against Lindemann for sexual offenses and the distribution of narcotics.
The investigation is based on several criminal complaints filed by third parties not directly involved in the incidents. AFP news agency reported that Berlin prosecutors are carrying out the investigation.
Lindemann has denied all the accusations against him, and his legal team has stated that they will pursue legal action against any allegations of sexual misconduct directed towards the Rammstein frontman.
As a consequence of the accusations against Lindemann, Rammstein‘s four-night residency at Munich’s Olympic Stadium was plagued by controversy. Consequently, the concert promoters scrapped the after-parties and “row zero” experience, while the band tightened security measures. In the wake of the allegations, German politicians demanded improved protection for fans, particularly women.