Rammstein drummer Christoph Schneider has released a statement in response to the allegations currently circling around frontman Till Lindemann. The 57 year-old is the first member of the band to publicly acknowledge the allegations.
Posting on Instagram, Schneider writes (translated from German):
"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 person. You fans certainly too. I feel as if in shock by the things that have been shared on social media and in the press and in print about our singer. This is an ebb and flow of emotions for us band members and crew.
No, I don't think anything criminally relevant (such as the use of knockout drops) happened. No. I don't think anything illegal was going on, I've never seen anything like it, nor heard anything like it from any of our crew of 100 people. All I heard from Till's parties were adults celebrating together. And yet things seem to have happened that, although legally ok, I personally don't think are ok. Certain structures have grown that went beyond the limits and values of the other band members. It is also important to us that Till's parties are not confused with our official after-show parties.
Till has distanced himself from us in recent years and created his own bubble.
With their own people, their own parties, their own projects. That made me sad, definitely. I believe Till when he tells us that he always wanted and still wants to give his private guests a good time. How exactly these guests had imagined this, however, seems to differ in some cases from his own ideas. 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 edge of a situation that they could no longer control. I feel sorry for her and I feel compassion.
However, it is important for me to emphasize something objective: every guest in the backstage area is free to leave (they may have to wait a moment for security to lead them safely to the exit). All bottles are sealed and in full view of the guests freshly opened or they open them themselves.
Water and snacks are available just like Security personnel and medical care available at any time. We want all of our guests to feel comfortable and safe with us!
This is our standard. So I'm sorry to hear that some didn't feel that way."
Last month, Rammstein fan Shelby Lynn, from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, alleged that her drinks were spiked at a ‘pre-party’ in Lithunia on May 22, leaving her physically bruised and vomiting for more than 24 hours. Lynn also claimed that refusing to have sex with Till Lindemann during a meeting with the singer made the Rammstein frontman angry (she has emphasised that she was not sexually assaulted and that Lindemann never touched her).
In the wake of Lynn's allegations, more women have come forward; on June 2, German outlet Tagesschau published allegations previously reported in Munich newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung accusing the singer of "abuse of power and sexual assault".
Further allegations have since emerged on social media, with numerous women claiming that people close to Lindemann were involving in 'rounding up' female Rammstein fans, some of whom appeared to be drugged, to meet with the vocalist.
German police have since opened an investigation into the accusations levelled against Lindemann. The singer has also lost his publishing contract with Kiepenheuer & Witsch, the company who released a collection of his poems in 2020.
Promotion for Rammstein's music has now been suspended by the band's label, Universal, who say in a statement: "The accusations against Till Lindemann have shocked us and we have the greatest respect for the women who have spoken out so courageously in public in this case."
You can view Christoph Schneider's statement below:
