Rammstein scandal: casting director fired amidst abuse accusations

The reports from women accusing Rammstein singer Till Lindemann of sexual or physical assault are piling up. Meanwhile, the German band has drawn its own conclusiond and fired casting director Alena Makeeva. At the same time, fans are disgusted by the allegations and some sell their tickets.

Casting director Alena Makeeva is said to have "cast" some of the young women for Lindemann, and that's why the band fired her. However, the women's allegations do not concern Makeeva at all. They speak exclusively of Lindemann, who has not yet experienced any consequences.

Just like Johanna Dürrholz from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), one can ask oneself whether it is a coincidence that Lindemann does not have to bear the allegations and that the buck is now being passed to... a woman.

One thing is also striking: in addition to the female, allegedly damaged fans, it's especially women who take a stand with regard to the allegations against Lindemann. They include local celebs Sophia Thomalla, Nora Tschirner, and Jadu Laciny. But more on that later; first the details of the allegations.

The complaints against Till Lindemann began with the Irishwoman Shelby Lynn, who turned to the public and filed a report with the police. Other women then spoke up about targeted recruitment for sex with Rammstein singer Till Lindemann and, in two cases, alleged sexual acts without consent.

Cynthia A., whose name was changed, reported to the NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) that she had sex with Lindemann in 2020, but that it was violent and not consensual. She hadn't explicitly said 'no' but she wasn't comfortable with it either. The then-22-year-old had not gone to the police.

In an interview with SZ, Cynthia A. said: "I didn't want to say that it hurts... , because it was Till Lindemann." Today, however, the woman describes the event as an assault and abuse of power by Lindemann.

Another woman, named Kaya R. to protect her anonymity, reported that she attended a Rammstein after party and then came to on a bed in a hotel room. Lindemann reportedly lay on top of her.

Both women, as reported by the German news oulet Tagesschau, affirmed their statements by oath. In addition, reporters from the German NDR and SZ have further testimonies and chat logs, as reported by the Tagesschau.

The first step towards public allegations against the Rammstein singer was made by the Irish Shelby Lynn who reported Till Lindemann to the Lithuanian police: because of the exploitation of young women and the suspicion of administering drugs at the start of the Rammstein "Europa Stadion Tour". May 22 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

What happened?

Photo: @Shelbys69666 / Twitter

The women in question are referred to as 'Row Zero' fans. They are mainly young women who are selected at Rammstein concerts and allowed to stand directly on the stage in 'row zero.' They are also invited to attend parties before and after the concert.

Shelby Lynn was one of them and is now making allegations. In a video on Instagram, she begins her speech with the words: "Don't meet your idols! Sh *** Rammstein!"

Photo: @Shelbys69666 / Twitter

The Irish Shelby Lynn was at the Rammstein concert in Vilnius. According to her own statements, the 24-year-old was allowed to go to a special area in front of the stage together with other women.

The women were also invited to the parties that took place during the concert. Lindemann is said to have been there and to have offered the women tequila, according to Focus Online.

During the break in the concert, Lynn said she was taken backstage by the band and asked to have sex with Lindemann. She alleges that the Rammstein singer reacted aggressively to her refusal.

After that, Lynn had a so-called blackout or film tear: she could only partially remember the rest of the evening, she says. It wasn't until the next morning that she had memories again. She woke up with bruises and bruises as well as chills, tachycardia, and nausea.

Photo: @Shelbys69666 / Twitter

Lynn posted a photo of the bruises on Twitter. She titled the post "Blaue Flecken Update #Rammstein" ('blue spots update').

The Irish woman is convinced that she was given drugs without her permission. She filed a complaint with the Lithuanian police.

Lynn announced on Twitter that she was being questioned by the Lithuanian police, who then confirmed this to the German Bild newspaper. Their conversation took place via video call and lasted five hours, Lynn said.

Despite the time spent on her report, Lynn complained in a post about the actions of the police: "They have finally taken an official statement from me and gave me a file number. I'm incredibly disappointed by how this matter was handled by 'professionals'."

Photo: @Shelbys69666 / Twitter

The band Rammstein issued a statement on May 28 that they have no knowledge of the incidents mentioned in the allegations. According to the Bild newspaper, the police want to decide in the coming week whether investigations will be initiated.

Photo: @RSpeaker / Twitter

Till Lindemann's ex-girlfriend, Sophia Thomalla, talked to Bild about the allegations. She said it was a made-up story and that Lynn wanted to use it to get some of Rammstein's fame.

Thomalla (left), who is in good contact with Lindemann even after their separation, has chosen his side and says that he is a person who protects women. However, it is unclear to what extent she can make precise statements about the events in Vilnius.

It is important to add that the Irish fan, Lynn, announced in another post on Twitter that Lindemann had not physically touched her. Thomalla then retweeted her post with the comment: "Enough said."

Thomalla got criticism for her approach to the Lindemann allegations from someone who had already shown her engagement in other cases of gender abuse in German showbiz. Her name is Nora Tschirner.

Tschirner responded to Shelby Lynn's report and described the reactions to the Irish woman as "gaslighting." This is the abusive manipulation of a person, insisting that their experience is not real, leading to a reduction in self-esteem.

By saying this, Tschirner aimed directly at Thomalla's comments which portrayed Lynn as an attention-seeking fan and thus reduced her credibility. According to Tschirner, it was a clear gaslighting method.

Tschirner said that the goal is to make the victim feel insecure and intimidated. She openly appealed to the media not to get involved in such an approach.

Sophia Thomalla reacted a second time to the allegations against her ex Till Lindemann and retweeted a post by the singer Jadu Laciny, who had been on tour with Lindemann in 2020 and claimed that she never noticed anything in line with the allegations against Lindemann.

Laciny recalled that some women were present backstage, and some of them openly explained why they were there. For Laciny, this is a sign of self-determination. She did not notice the administration of drugs.

Laciny said of Lindemann that she trusts him and that he is very warm and in no way pushy. However, there are obviously conflicting reports here - as well as knowledge in the scene of "notorious" Rammstein parties.

'Row Zero' fans and the pre-and after-parties at the Rammstein concerts are notorious. According to the site fm4.orf.at, Markus Grundnig, administrator of the Austrian Rammstein fan club, said that it was well-known that there were excessive parties and consensual sexual encounters at Rammstein concerts.

The research by NDR and SZ now suggests a system of targeted recruitment of women before and during Rammstein concerts. Over a dozen women reported being approached via Instagram or at concerts to attend Lindemann's after-show parties.

For this purpose, photos were allegedly taken of them beforehand or on-site. In addition, they were given instructions on the clothing and styling they should choose for the night. One woman even stated that she was told that Lindemann only wanted very young women at his parties and that participation was linked to interest in sex with the Rammstein singer.

Lynn's accusations have been followed by those of more women. They are now reporting on social media about sexual assaults in the vicinity of the Rammstein concerts. According to the German broadcaster MDR, the women speak of sex with Lindemann which would have been especially violent during these encounters.

The women in 'Row Zero' would also be conspicuous by their apathy, observers in German and Austrian media claim. This can be a sign of drug administration. More information about a possible investigation by the Lithuanian police is expected to come out soon

The allegations split the fan community: some fans are angry and sell their concert tickets, while others want to stand by the band and show solidarity.

After the further allegations, Rammstein reported back to Instagram and said that they would take the allegations seriously and condemned the assault. The band also wrote that both the women and the band have a right to their point of view and that there should be no prejudice.

As several media reported, countless fans offered their tickets for the concert in the Olympic Stadium in Munich for sale. According to Der Spiegel, several hundred tickets were for sale here for the concert on June 7th.

In the run-up to the concerts in Munich, politicians reacted. The Greens in the Munich City Council called for a ban on 'Row Zero' and for after-parties to be examined.

On June 7, the first day of the concert in Munich, demonstrators gathered in front of the Olympic Stadium to protest against the band's performance. They carried signs reading "No show for perpetrators" and "We are here!" to express their solidarity with the alleged victims.