Dieter Wedel, 81, stands accused of raping an actress in a hotel room during an audition in 1996. The accusations first emerged in January 2018, and were the first in Germany since the global #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct gained momentum in the wake of the disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s downfall. The allegations against Wedel also took on a political dimension as a public broadcaster was hit with accusations of a cover-up. State-funded television channel Saarlaendischer Rundfunk (SR) admitted then that it was aware of sexual misconduct allegedly committed by Wedel in the 1980s and continued working with him. “Wedel may be the German Harvey Weinstein.”

Source: The Local March 05, 2021 13:18 UTC