Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann was dropped by his book publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, following allegations of sexual misconduct against him, made by a woman on social media and published in German outlet Tagesschau. The band, which had previously denied allegations that Lindemann had spiked a fan’s drink with drugs at a pre-party, have now issued a new statement in German. Translated into English, it reads:

The publications of the last few days have caused irritation and questions among the public and especially among our fans. The allegations hit us all very hard, and we take them extremely seriously. We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows—in front of and behind the stage.

We condemn any kind of transgression and ask you: Do not engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations. You have a right to your point of view. But we, the band, also have a right—namely not to be prejudiced either.

Kiepenheuer & Witsch’s statement, translated into English, read:

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.

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 still night” 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.