German hard rock band Rammstein has come under fire for releasing a music video on Thursday that contains depictions of the Holocaust.
The 9m22s video for the new song “Deutschland,” directed by Specter Berlin, includes less than 30 seconds of images of band members dressed as concentration camp prisoners with nooses around their necks.
Nazi soldiers look on as the prisoners are hanged.
Later in the video, the same soldiers are shown surrounded by concentration camp prisoners aiming guns at their heads. A subsequent scene shows the prisoners firing their weapons.
Reacting to a preview before the release of the full music video, Holocaust survivor Charlotte Knobloch told German newspaper Bild that Rammstein “is misusing the suffering and murder of millions for entertainment purposes in a frivolous and repulsive way.”
She said: “The band has crossed a line. The instrumentalization and trivialization of the Holocaust, as shown in the images, is irresponsible.”
The video, which is age-restricted on YouTube, depicts violent acts through the ages and includes a plethora of disturbing images, including a beheading and cannibalism – themes the band has explored in the past. You can watch it here.
"Deutschland" is included on Rammstein's new self-titled album, which comes out May 17.