On Monday night, June 27, 2023, vandals broke several windows and sprayed graffiti on the headquarters of the German heavy metal band Rammstein in Berlin.
The attack was in response to recent sexual assault allegations leveled against the band’s frontman, Till Lindemann. The graffiti included the phrase “No stage for perpetrators,” which appears to be a reference to the allegations against Lindemann.
The attack is being investigated by state security officials, who have not ruled out a political motive. Early information suggests that a left-wing extremist group has taken responsibility for the attack.
Allegations
Lindemann has denied the sexual assault allegations, which were first made public in a report by the German magazine Spiegel in June 2023. The allegations stem from two separate incidents that allegedly occurred in 2019 and 2020. In the wake of the allegations, Rammstein has canceled several upcoming tour dates in Russia. The band has also released a statement saying that they “categorically reject any form of violence or harassment.”
Attacks on Other Musicians
After a series of attacks on musicians and artists in Germany in recent years, vandals vandalized Rammstein’s headquarters. In 2019, firebombers firebombed rappers’ homes in Berlin. Then, in 2020, threats of violence led to the cancellation of Lana Del Rey’s concert. These attacks are part of a wider trend of political extremism in Germany, which has seen a rise in far-right and neo-Nazi activity fueled by the influx of refugees to Germany in 2015 and the rise of populism and nationalism across Europe. The vandalism of Rammstein’s headquarters is a reminder of the dangers of political extremism and the importance of defending freedom of expression.
