More and more women are coming out with their stories about German film director Dieter Wedel's inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct, according to German newspaper Die Zeit.
The allegations range from harassment to attempted rape, with some of them dating back almost 40 years and affecting the Saarlaendischer Rundfunk (SR), a German public broadcaster that is being accused of covering up the issue.
The state-funded media outlet earlier admitted that it knew of sexual misconduct allegedly committed by Wedel in the 1980s, but continued its work with him.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against German director #DieterWedel keep flooding in — with 18 cases being reported so far according to the @DieZeit weekly.
— DW — Culture (@dw_culture) 26 января 2018 г.
But with some cases dating back to the 1980s, can #Wedel still face trial?https://t.co/vKSqHsSzHr pic.twitter.com/xIlYTuJhIp
Among his victims, there are reportedly two actresses who have presumably been sexually harassed by the film director during that time; Wedel, among other things, is said to have tried to rape one of the actresses in her hotel room.
SR head Thomas Kleist said he was "very upset" by the information and pledged an internal investigation.
The news has sparked intense debate among social media users.
Some of them supported the film director, saying that there is no actual proof of his actions, but rather mere accusations.
Behauptungen ohne wirkliche Beweise! Rufmord! #MeeToo
— Antonio Pizzi (@antoniopizzi) 25 января 2018 г.
Claims without real evidence! Lynching!
Genau so ist es Jetzt machen Sie #DieterWedel fertig. Und journalistische Standards bei @BILD. Ich lach mich kaputt 😃😂
— Andreas (@skipper_an) 26 января 2018 г.
That's the way it is. Now they are going to smash #DieterWedel. And journalistic standards by @BILD. They make me laugh.
Others supported the idea that Wedel should be punished for his behavior and criticized the SR broadcaster for keeping silent on the matter.
#metoo @sat1 @sat1ffs_ @ZDFsaarland @swr Das ist ja wohl absolut unglaublich, dass der Saarländ. Rundfunk vor Jahren trotz offenbar eindeutiger Unterlagen über #DieterWedel s Verfehlungen alles unter den Tisch gekehrt hat. Die betroff. Schauspielerin brach zusammen. Super. 👍👍👍
— Shortgame (@a_huebner_law) 25 января 2018 г.
That's absolutely unbelievable that years ago the Saarländ. Rundfunk swept everything under the table years ago, despite apparently clear documents on #DieterWedel's actions. The affected actress just broke down. Great.
Weil die meisten Opfer sexueller Gewalt eingeschüchtert und emotional erpresst werden oder Angst haben, dass ihnen nicht geglaubt wird. Täter hingegen werden meist geschützt und von Familie, Kollegen, Arbeitgeber, sozialem Umfeld gedeckt. #DieterWedel #MeToo https://t.co/W9ry8bXCiA
— (((Beate Schicker))) (@Saltytrees) 25 января 2018 г.
Because most victims of sexual violence are intimidated and emotionally blackmailed or afraid that no one will believe them. On the other hand, perpetrators are usually protected and covered by their family, colleagues, employers and the social environment.
This is the first big scandal to hit Germany in the context of the global #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. The German film director is sometimes compared to Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood film producer accused of being involved in numerous cases of sexual harassment and abuse.
The #MeToo movement emerged in the wake of public revelations of sexual misconduct accusations against Weinstein and has recently picked up steam all across the world.
