Calls for a boycott of Rammstein concerts in Switzerland

The Swiss Socialist Youth (JS) launched a petition Thursday evening to cancel the concerts in Bern of the German group, whose singer is accused by several women of sexual assault.

Women’s associations and politicians are mobilizing to force the cancellation of Rammstein concerts in Switzerland 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 have the concerts scheduled for June 17 and 18 in Bern canceled, although the lawyers for Till Tindemann – the voice and lyricist of the group – formally deny the accusations made by several young women since May.

“These accusations of sexual assault must be taken seriously! The only responsible thing to do in this context is to cancel the concerts”, estimates Thomas Bruchez, vice-president of the JS with the agency Keystone-ATS.

Possible action in front of the Wankdorf stadium

At 2:30 p.m. GMT on Friday the petition had collected more than 3,600 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 tabloid Blick 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 are to take place, sold out.

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 Tindemann with his deep bass voice.

Drugs and sexual assault

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 Till Lindemann could make his choice, before for some of them being invited backstage for parties.

Some would then have been drugged before being attacked by the 60-year-old singer.

“These accusations are invariably false”, assure Till Tindemann’s lawyers. “We will immediately take legal action for all such allegations,” they threaten.