German hard rock group blasted for concentration camp video

A German hard rock group is under fire for promoting a new single by featuring band members dressed as concentration camp inmates.

By Associated Press

German hard rock group Rammstein is being criticized for a video promoting the release of its new single “Deutschland” that features band members dressed as concentration camp inmates standing on a gallows.

Jewish groups and others called the video tasteless and unacceptable, while the government’s anti-Semitism official, Felix Klein, told Bild newspaper in comments published Thursday that the band had “crossed a red line.”

Klein says “it’s a tasteless exploitation of artistic freedom.”

The band and its label refused to comment on the 35-second clip, and it’s not clear what message it is intended to convey, nor how the lyrics of the unreleased song tie in with it.