Report: Flow Festival Security Accused Of “Violently” Attacking DJ Inga Mauer
Fellow performer Marie Davidson witnessed the event and shared her account of it on Facebook.
Russian DJ and producer Inga Mauer was "violently" assaulted by security early Sunday morning at Flow Festival in Helsinki, reports FACT. The details of the incident and Mauer's subsequent arrest were shared on Facebook by Montreal artist and fellow performer Marie Davidson.
Davidson says that she witnessed two security guards pinning Mauer to the ground two hours after her performance. Mauer was reportedly shocked and confused: "She said they violently dragged her out of one of the festival area because she refused to leave right away," Davidson wrote.
The security guards allegedly escalated the situation when Davidson tried to explain that Mauer was an artist, by detaining both of them away from the festival's crowds. "I try to reach out to my friend but they wouldn't let me touch her," Davidson said. Later, the police came and arrested Mauer, and Davidson was kicked out of the festival by two security guards who "took [her] by the arms."
“I told them I needed to at least be in touch with someone because I had no internet, no driver and no taxi were taking people to any place at this hour. They laughed and said ‘go figure it out’ and then closed the fence," Davidson wrote.
Read her account in full below via Facebook.
Mauer was held overnight and released on Sunday. Later that day she shared a defiant statement on her personal Facebook page: "Inga Mauer is a criminal punk techno dj. Done."
In a statement to FACT, Flow Festival said it was "truly sorry" for the artist's experiences, and criticized the police for "acting threateningly" and not providing information on where Mauer was being held. The festival says that "serious discussions" are underway with lawyers and promised an investigation into Local Crew Oy, the subcontractor providing security at the festival:
“We, the three partners of Flow Festival, Suvi Kallio, Tuomas Kallio and Toni Rantanen, are still at a loss for words and very sad about the episode that happened at the Flow Festival area early Sunday morning. Inga Mauer and Marie Davidson are artists and lovely friends who Toni Rantanen booked to perform at the festival. It came to our knowledge that members of the security staff had used violence against Inga Mauer. Marie Davidson, who approached to try to help her, was inappropriately thrown out of the festival area. Even the police who came to sort out the situation acted threateningly and refused to give us any information after taking Inga Mauer to jail overnight.
Flow Festival does not approve the use of violence and we were shocked and very sad to hear this. We are truly sorry for what Inga Mauer and Marie Davidson had to go through.
Luckily we have video, photos and eyewitnesses. As festival organizers, we take responsibility of this incident and will make sure everything will be investigated and taken care of properly. Serious discussions are underway with our lawyers and the subcontractor Local Crew Oy that was responsible for Flow Festival’s 2017 security. Compensation for the victims must follow and something similar can never ever happen again. The security company has been a trusted subcontractor for many years but now they have failed to do their job in the right manner.”
The FADER has reached out to Marie Davidson and Inga Mauer for comment.