Concert in Munich
Boycott Rammstein or ignore allegations? The battle of faith raged on Twitter
Demonstrators show what they think of Rammstein in front of the Olympic Stadium
© Sven Hoppe / DPA
Rammstein played the opening concert of their European tour in Munich. In social media like Twitter, the debate about the allegation of sexual violence against singer Till Lindemann heated up again. A look at the unforgiving camp.
Rammstein played the opening concert of their European tour in Munich’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday evening. It was sold out, as were the other three shows the Berlin band is playing in Munich. A total of 240,000 tickets were sold. Lindemann did not address the allegations of sexual violence during the show, on the contrary: the singer was as usual taciturn between the songs. He said goodbye to the audience with the words: “Munich, thank you for being here. Thank you for being with us.” Unlike at other concerts, the band did without the song “Pussy”, to which Lindemann had been spraying the audience with a huge, penis-shaped foam cannon for years.
Normally the fans love such show elements. Rammstein are global superstars and have a loyal fan base in Germany and around the world. The group is currently facing serious allegations. The band and especially singer Till Lindemann are said to have specifically selected young women for sex. Women are said to have been involuntarily drugged. The band denies the allegations and have said they will have a law firm investigate them. So far, nothing is known about criminal investigations.
Concerts in Munich
“No concerns at all about coming to the concert today”: That’s what Rammstein fans say about the allegations against Till Lindemann
Nevertheless, there is a raging public debate about sexual violence and the question of when the alleged voluntariness will end and male abuse of power will begin. If you follow the descriptions of the women, there was a sophisticated system that unscrupulously exploited the position of power and the naivety of young women.
Of course, the band’s concerts are now the focus: How do the fans deal with the allegations? Since the allegations became known, defenders and critics have been flooding one another with accusations and insults on Twitter. Some dismiss the statements as harmless or disqualify the women as addicted to profiling, others declare Rammstein supporters to be accomplices.
What critics particularly accuse the Rammstein defenders of is the perpetrator-victim reversal or victim blaming: Many fans are of the opinion that the women who have made the allegations public with their statements are themselves to blame for their misfortune. True to the motto: If you get involved with rock stars, you have to know what’s going to happen. Conversely, insults against Rammstein supporters are part of it. Accordingly, even attending a Rammstein concert was “disgusting”.
The statements in the tweets make it clear how big the differences are in the assessment of the Rammstein case. And how difficult it is still for women to be heard when it comes to the exercise of male power. We alternately distributed the tweets in pros and cons throughout the article.