Members of the Rammstein group’s entourage asked the Festival d’été de Québec organization to match them with young girls for a party held after the 2010 concert on the Plains of Abraham, a request that was turned down, as one learned THE protocol.
• Also read: Dozens of young women accuse the Rammstein singer of being a sex offender
• Also read: Rammstein singer accused of sexual assault: the federal government calls for protective measures for female audiences
“They asked for it and were told no. We told them it didn’t work here,” remembers Daniel Gélinas, FEQ’s managing director at the time.
This information has been confirmed by the current FEQ team.
“It’s difficult to get back to 2010 exactly, but it appears that we received a request from the group’s travel team to facilitate contact with viewers, a request that both our receptionist and production management have declined.” confirms Samantha McKinley, Vice President of Communications for the festival.
According to journalistic research published in German media in recent days, singer Till Lindemann sexually assaulted several young girls during the group’s concerts, thanks to a recruitment system. Two of them say they were drugged and assaulted without their knowledge.
An employee of the group is said to have acted as a harvest helper. She filmed and photographed girls sitting in the front row so Lindemann, described as a sex offender, could choose which ones to invite to the party. She was released on Tuesday.
Expelled from the lodge
Although FEQ 2010 officials refused to act as matchmakers, members of the Rammstein team still attempted to place a call to the festival’s corporate box, which is located very close to the stage in The Plains.
“We asked her what you were doing there. They told us they would come to see if there were any girls. They were told to leave. They left,” says Daniel Gélinas.
“We had never seen that before. That never happened with other artists. “The employees were outraged,” he also said.
girls at the party
After the concert, a party finally took place backstage. According to a source confided in the Journal, who was present that evening after the concert, which was attended by more than 75,000 people, young girls took part.
So far, no guest at this party has reported an attack, neither in 2010 nor when Rammstein returned to the 2016 summer party.
Since visiting FEQ in 2010, the Germans have also played in Montreal in 2011, 2012 and 2022. At the request of Le Journal, a spokesman for the organizer evenko said that no problematic behavior of the group during the passages had been heard in the metropolis.
– In collaboration with Raphaël Gendron-Martin
Protective measures required by the federal government
The federal government on Tuesday called for protective measures for Rammstein’s female audience after allegations of sexual assault against the metal group’s singer.
“Young people in particular need to be better protected from attacks,” Germany’s family minister and environmentalist Lisa Paus told AFP, while one of Europe’s best-known metal bands, Rammstein, is currently touring the continent.
In particular, the minister proposes the establishment of protection zones for women at concerts, as well as response teams in the event of sexual assaults.
We would have to discuss protective measures “quickly and concretely”, demands the minister, for whom “a serious debate about the responsibility of artists and organizers towards their fans would make sense”.
Squad in Quebec
In Quebec, special mobile response teams have been set up at major festivals in recent years to help vulnerable people at concerts, particularly female audience members.
Les Hirondelles has been working at evenko since 2017. In Quebec City, we founded La Brigade at the summer festival in 2018.
“We are not waiting for a situation like Rammstein’s to arise to take initiatives, funds and resources,” said Samantha McKinley, vice president of communications at FEQ.
However, she adds that in light of the Rammstein affair, we will “re-examine the mechanisms that are in place to ensure we avoid such unfortunate situations.”
– By AFP and Cédric Bélanger