Perpetrators on stage – or: Awareness and Rammstein.
About big events and anti-sexist safety concepts.
originally published via: https://awa-stern.info/tater-auf-der-buhne-oder-awareness-und-rammstein/
Since the claims of assault against the singer of the band Rammstein became public, awareness and related concepts have been a topic in many media reports. Recently, the band itself announced that it would implement an “awareness concept” at its next performance. In our view, this is a fundamentally wrong approach to awareness work in the current situation and should be understood as awareness washing. We will explain why here in the text.
Awareness is a concept that follows clear guidelines and values.
These guidelines include the principles of the power of definition and partisanship, as well as the fact that those affected (persons affected by violence and discrimination) can turn to the corresponding structure confidentially.
This means recognizing the reality of the affected persons and their experiences.
It means taking the side of those affected.
And to find out together with them how to (re)create the ability to act and how to give support.
In principle, it is a good and necessary thing for events, no matter what size, to have concepts that manage what happens when there are assaults.
Awareness work offers a framework that clearly defines what support can be expected, especially by those affected, and that their concerns are taken seriously. In practice, these concepts can be implemented in different ways (in relation to local structures, etc.), but they include features such as a clearly recognizable, easily and directly accessible, directly approachable, well-trained team on-site at large events. This team also has the authority of the premises and, in case of doubt, can exclude the perpetrators from the event for the protection of the persons affected and acts according to the principles associated with awareness work as mentioned above.
So what happens in the case of Rammstein when the person creating the harm, the perpetrator, is on stage? The awareness team would first have to expel the singer from the concert. If they didn’t do that, they would be going against the principles, especially after what has been made public by those affected. This includes the fact that it has been expressed that there needs to be a clarification of the cases and that the band (or other structures like label, management, etc.) should take responsibility.
In such a context and situation, a concert cannot be made safe, not even through an awareness structure. Because the problem and the perpetrator are still centrally present. It seems that the band wants to use these measures to distract from what happened, even to relativize the reports about what happened. Through an awareness concept, it is supposed to be suggested that there is a sensitivity to the issue. From the point of view of our work, however, this would mean taking consistent action, clarifying the accusations and, until then, terminating the cooperation with the singer. It would mean taking the allegations seriously instead of awarenesswashing as in this case.
Awarenesswashing has not only been an issue since Rammstein. If, as in the case of the ”Bucht der Träumer” (Bay of Dreamers) (https://awa-stern.info/solidaritatsbekundung-und-kritik-an-den-festivalorganisatorinnen-der-bucht-der-traumer/), centrally responsible persons protect the persons responsible, i.e. the perpetrators, and then those affected are forced to leave the structure, or as a result would no longer feel safe at the event locations either, then this goes against all the foundations of awareness. The rules and principles apply to everyone. If this is not the case, then it is not awareness. Organizers, musicians, club and venue owners, facilitators, security people, technicians, and others who have responsibilities and representational roles within such a structure, or take on parts within the work, are not excluded from the agreements that are made within the framework of awareness concepts.
Because either it applies to everyone and everyone can rely on it, or it does not. And especially when accusations and assaults come from people who have power, then this certainty is needed even more.
This also includes the certainty that those affected will remain anonymous. Even more, their story is only made public if they explicitly want it to be, and only at their explicit request and after joint consultation on strategy and ensuring a support structure for those affected and their environment.
If there is already an accusation or accusations in the room (whether anonymous or not, whether communicated publicly or directly to those responsible), then these must first be dealt with. Continuing and then sprinkling pseudo-awareness over it and saying, “We are no longer committing assaults anyway and are now doing a different concept” is then not enough, but also delegitimizes those affected. Nor is the “artistic concept” or any other higher purpose the reason for placing oneself above the demands of those affected. The work of art and the individuals behind it cannot be separated at the moment of performance. Because what happens on stage is that the perpetrator can show himself, while those affected cannot do the same.
Instead of awareness, what is needed in this case is for the band to cancel all further gigs and first clarify their internal relationships, values, and the sort of thing, and consider whether they want to continue working with the person causing the harm. However, it is also hard to imagine that the other band members and other people familiar with the structure would have been unaware of these incidents for years. The band’s media approach also seems to confirm this, because instead of clear announcements, responsibility is shifted onto others. The band advises those affected not to publish anything, lawyers act against reporting, and the PR agency commissioned by the band probably advises them to do something with “awareness”. We won’t be instrumentalized for that.
So if the band doesn’t do it themselves and protect the perpetrator or perhaps also contributed to what happened through their actions, then it’s up to everyone else to work together to ensure that perpetrators don’t get a stage. That’s proper and applied awareness work then.
More about the principles and background of our work can be found here: