Two members of the German heavy metal band, guitarists Paul Landers and Richard Kruspe, shared a kiss on stage during a performance in Russia’s capital city Moscow to protest the country’s anti-LGBTQ attitudes and laws.
While homosexuality isn’t illegal in Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s ‘gay propaganda’ law has created a hostile environment for LGBTQ people. A prominent LGBTQ activist was recently murdered after her name was listed on a vile ‘gay-hunting’ website.
Elsewhere, in self-governed Russian state Chechnya, gay people have been rounded up and held in modern-day concentration camps, with many of them tortured for information and some even beaten to death.
Rammstein shared a photo of the kiss, which took place during their song Aüslander, on their Instagram page alongside the caption: “Russia, we love you!”
It’s not the first time the band have shown support for LGBTQ rights on this tour – during a performance in Poland, the band waved rainbow Pride flags as they crowd-surfed in a rubber dinghy.
The bold statement came after reports that members of Poland’s LGBTQ community had faced violence during a Pride march in the country, as well as reports of ‘LGBT-free’ zones being promoted by bigots.
Rammstein’s show of support for LGBTQ people has gone down very well with fans of the band.
