German hard rock band Rammstein sparked outrage among Jewish groups and politicians after releasing the promotional video for their new album. In the 35-second video, which is available on YouTube, band members appear as concentration camp inmates. They are dressed in striped uniforms and wear nooses around their necks. The comments for the video are disabled, but discussions are still heated online.
Rammstein accused of trivializing the Holocaust with new video
The short video was posted on YouTube on March 26 and has already garnered more than 1 million views. In the description there is a date in Roman numerals: XXVIII.III.MMXIX. Translated, this means March 28, 2019. According to speculation, the band will present their new song then.
“With this video, the band has crossed a line,” Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told the “Bild” newspaper. “The trivialization shownof the Holocaustis irresponsible.”
The government's commissioner for anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, called the video "a tasteless exploitation of artistic freedom."
Rammstein has caused considerable controversy since its founding in 1995. They have recorded albums with references to sadomasochism, incest, abuse, necrophilia, cannibalism and sexual violence.
In 2009, Rammstein's hit album "Love is for everyone there" was indexed by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs because it showed depictions of sadomasochism that were harmful to young people. It could only be purchased under the counter and after presenting ID.
