Publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch has dropped Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann as a client. The publisher cites allegations against Lindemann after a show in Lithuania, as well as usage of his 2013 book In stillen Nächten in a porn video that allegedly "celebrates sexual violence against women."
Kiepenheuer & Witsch published both Lindemann's 2013 book In stillen Nächten and 2020 book 100 Gedichte. The statement comes from Germany's Metal Hammer, as originally reported on by MetalSucks.
"It is with shock that we have followed public allegations against Till Lindemann in the last few days. Our sympathy and respect goes to the women affected," said Kiepenheuer & Witsch of their decision to drop Lindemann.
"In the course of current reporting, we became aware of a porn video in which Till Lindemann celebrates sexual violence against women and in which the 2013 book In stillen Nächten published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch plays a role. We rate this as gross breach of trust and as a ruthless act in relation to the values we represent as a publisher.
"We defend the freedom of art with full conviction. Through Till Lindemann's actions that humiliate women in the aforementioned porn and the targeted use of our book in a pornographic context, the separation between the 'lyrical I' and the author/artist, which we so staunchly defended, is mocked by the author himself.
"From our point of view, Till Lindemann exceeds immovable limits in dealing with women. We have therefore decided to end our collaboration with Till Lindemann with immediate effect, as our relationship of trust with the author has been irretrievably broken."
Rammstein has denied the claims against them in regards to the Lithuanian show, saying "With regard to the allegations circulating on the internet about Vilnius, we can rule out the possibility that what is being claimed took place in our environment. We are not aware of any official investigations into this matter."
German news channel Tagesschau has since published a separate report with allegations against Lindemann by several women. As of right now, Rammstein has not responded to these allegations, and they should be treated as such – allegations.
