(Geneva) Women’s defense associations and political leaders are mobilizing to force the cancellation of Rammstein concerts in Switzerland and Austria after accusations of sexual assault against the singer of the German metal band.
The Swiss Socialist Youth (JS) launched a petition on Thursday evening to cancel the concerts scheduled for June 17 and 18 in the Swiss capital, although the lawyers of Till Lindemann – the voice and the lyricist of the group – formally deny the accusations. by several young women since May.
“These sexual assault accusations must be taken seriously! The only responsible thing to do in this context is to cancel the concerts, ”said Thomas Bruchez, vice-president of the JS at the agency Keystone-ATS.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, the petition had collected more than 4,000 signatures out of the 5,000 targeted and they were increasing rapidly, the Swiss press having widely echoed this call.
The Swiss Socialist Women, the feminist organization for peace cfd and the NGO against violence against women Brava also support the initiative.
In the columns of the Blick tabloid on Friday, the Bernese committee of the feminist strike collective demanded that the organizer give up the concerts and said it was thinking about a possible action in front of the Wankdorf stadium, where the two performances.
In neighboring Austria, the Greens have also called for the cancellation of concerts scheduled for Vienna on July 26 and 27. “It is the responsibility of the organizers not to provide a platform for alleged abusers,” said Viktoria Spielmann, in charge of women’s issues for the Green Party.
A petition had nearly 5,000 signatures on Friday evening.
Rammstein – many of whose songs have very raw sexual references – is the German-speaking group that sells the most albums in the world and its global success is also based on the excess of its concerts, with a lot of pyrotechnics and physical presence. imposing by Till Lindemann with his deep bass voice.
The case began at the end of May with the testimony of a 24-year-old Irish woman accusing the singer and lyricist of the group of having drugged and sexually assaulted her after a concert the same month in Lithuania.
Other young women then testified, all describing more or less the same scenario.
The groupies would have been spotted in the front rows of the concerts, filmed or photographed so that Lindemann could make his choice, before for some of them being invited backstage for parties.
Some would then have been drugged before being assaulted by the 60-year-old singer.
“These accusations are invariably false,” say Till Lindemann’s attorneys. “We will immediately take legal action on all such allegations,” they threaten.