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Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz
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NADJA WOHLLEBEN / REUTERS
According to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is also following the current reporting on the band Rammstein. The Chancellor does not only read the political section of the newspapers. In this respect, this is a topic that he has also pursued intensively in recent days, Hebestreit said on Friday in Berlin at a press conference in response to a corresponding question. He spoke of allegations "that need to be clarified".
When asked whether Scholz thought changes in the music industry were necessary, the spokesman said that the debate was to be conducted in the industry. He also referred to statements by Family Minister Lisa Paus. The Green politician had said a few days ago that it was necessary to talk about how young people in particular could be better protected. She invites the music industry to join the alliance "Together against Sexism".
Several women had made allegations against Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann in the past few days - some of them anonymously. The women describe situations that they sometimes found frightening. Young women were selected during concerts and asked if they wanted to come to the after-show party. According to some women, sexual acts are also said to have occurred.
Lindemann had rejected allegations against him on Thursday. He is now having his interests represented by a lawyer, as the Berlin lawyers Simon Bergmann and Christian Schertz announced. "In the social networks, especially on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, serious allegations were made by various women to the detriment of our client," it said in a statement. "For example, it has been repeatedly claimed that women were drugged at Rammstein concerts with the help of knockout drops or alcohol in order to enable our client to perform sexual acts on them. These allegations are invariably untrue."
xvc/dpa