Berlin's KitKatClub slammed by alleged victims of sexual assault and harassment
- PublishedTue, Oct 3, 2023, 15:15
- Words
- Share
- Several people have shared their allegations with RA.
- Berlin sex-positive club KitKat has been slammed by attendees who say it's a "breeding ground for sexual predators." Several people wrote to Resident Advisor after the Mitte venue came under fire this summer for hosting Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann, who at the time was facing charges of sexual assault. (The charges have since been dropped.) Promoter Maze was among the people who got in touch with RA. Now based in London, they said they were at KitKat in October 2021 for a party called Symbiotikka. They were with their then-girlfriend on the dance floor when "a naked older man just grabbed my hips really hard and began thrusting behind me. It was pretty gross. I wanted to get away from the situation." Maze said they later saw the same man harassing "femme-presenting, vulnerable" people at the party. "He would just come up and rub his dick on whatever anyone was wearing," they added. They said there were no safe-guarding staff members in sight to help her after the "traumatising" scenario. "So this is the sort of place that's really shit for anyone who's vulnerable and is being harassed or assaulted," Maze continued. "I came away thinking these people in charge really don't give a fuck about what's going on inside. It's like a pit for predators to approach the vulnerable." Maze didn't submit an official complaint to the venue because they said they had little faith it would be dealt with properly. "Pretty much everyone I've spoken to who isn't a cis straight man finds KitKatClub really unnerving, very creepy," they added. "I decided I wouldn't ever go back." Launched in 1994, KitKat is renowned for helping conceive Berlin's sex-positive movement. The dress code is defined by fetish, latex, leather, uniform, kinky, glitter and glamorous attire. But according to Maze, the club fails to visibly define its rules of consent, which sets it apart from other sex-positive spaces that clearly signpost the nature of the event and its code of conduct. (RA asked KitKat about its consent and signposting policy but received no response.) RA spoke to one former KitKat attendee, Dana, who visited the club regularly in 2019 and early 2020. She said the only signs she can remember seeing were "very basic ones like 'consent is important, if anyone does anything against your wishes go to the security.'" She said she doesn't recall "any signs about specific rules." She added: "But I know the partygoers didn't understand the concept of consent very well, which was one of the main reasons I stopped going there." Another alleged incident took place during a Gegen party in January 2023. One artist, who wishes to remain anonymous, told RA that they were "groped" twice at KitKat before a friend intervened. "[The man] just wouldn't fucking listen," they said. "A lot of us have run away from a very horrible world. We don't need predators. Our community is already full of emotionally fragile people who should feel safe–not subjected to something horrible happening to them." According to the anonymous artist, there were awareness team members at KitKat when the incident occurred but not enough of them. "I couldn't see anyone I could approach and I definitely didn't want to report [the incident] to the bouncers, because what's the point? When people try to report something to them, they often get kicked out." This kind of violating behaviour, they alleged, is part of the "culture of KitKat," not Gegen per se, because they've been to Gegen parties at other Berlin venues and not had any problems. At other venues, people seen breaking the "rules of conduct are removed from the venue," they added. KitKat must "move with the times," the anonymous artist added. Otherwise, it will continue to "attract people who think it's a free-for-all, which is a huge misunderstanding and makes it a perfect breeding ground for predators," they continued. "Many people in the Berlin BDSM scene don't like KitKat for this reason." RA approached Gegen for comment on the alleged incident. A spokesperson said the party's BIPOC awareness team–which was established in 2014 "to deal with such misconduct"–wasn't made aware of the alleged incident and that such allegations are taken "very seriously." At Gegen, he added, awareness crew members patrol KitKat and are "stationed strategically" near the toilets, the main floor DJ booth and next to the paramedics team. Details on how to get help if you feel violated or uncomfortable can be found on printed materials at the party and online. The Gegen spokesperson also said it's "disheartening" to learn that an alleged victim of sexual assault "possibly influenced by concerns related to the reputation of KitKat bouncers" was deterred from reaching out for help and that "active collaboration and involvement of guests" is critical to address such issues. He said that, while his team is aware of allegations related to KitKat, it's important to note that "Gegen parties are separate entities with distinct security measures in place." According to Lutz Leichsenring from the Berlin Club Commission—which shares a building with KitKat—the venue hires its own security and bar staff but promoters usually hire their own safeguarding teams. He said the Club Commission's Awareness Academy–which provides violence and assault prevention training to venues, promoters and collectives–has previously collaborated with individual workers and promoters at KitKat and will "extend this collaboration." Em, a regular attendee at kink parties across Europe, said she went to KitKat for the first time in March this year for Symbiotikka. "In clubs I go to, you can see visible monitors wearing arm bands walking through the crowd, so you know who to go to if something happens–I noticed none of this at KitKat," she said. During her time at the venue, Em said a "random guy" came and stood right next to her and a friend while they were engaged in intimate play. "He came out of nowhere and tried to join us," she said. "That's never happened to me before." Speaking to RA, promoter Chris Symbiotikka said that "educated awareness team members" are present "all night" at every Symbiotikka party and are easily spotted in their green neon vests. He said "approachable" staff and security personnel are also present–"especially in sensitive situations." He added: "We take all measures at our disposal to prevent the situations mentioned–and if something happens, to make the right decisions in cooperation with the awareness team, security, police and paramedics. But of course we can only act if we're also addressed, if people talk to us. Because we can't put a personal bodyguard at every guest's side the whole night. This would certainly limit the fun and freedom." RA approached KitKat for comment but has yet to receive a reply. We'll report more on this story as it unfolds. Correction, October 20th: A previous version of this article said the Gegen party took place in February. It was actually in January.
- Fri, Jan 6, 2023
Gegen ANALversary
Ancient Methods, Cassie Raptor, Esther Dune, Grace Dahl, Luna Vassarotti, Znzl, Amperia, OCD, Lady Maru, Nat Wendell, Mauro Feola, Ady Toledano, Electrosexual, cristian zanotti, VINVAR, RQVX, Rangelova