Föllakzoid’s Dominga targeted in alleged transphobic attack at Berlin nightclub Sameheads
The alleged incident took place on Friday night at the Neukölln club
WARNING: This article includes accounts and imagery of assault which may be distressing for some readers.
Dominga of Chilean electronic group Föllakzoid was allegedly targeted in a transphobic attack at Berlin nightclub Sameheads over the weekend, she said in a statement.
In an account of the alleged attack sent to Mixmag, Dominga claims that she was in attendance at Sameheads on Friday, September 6, when she was “violently attacked” by a “cis transphobic woman” in the club bathroom at around 3:AM.
She claimed that the woman first attacked her groin, “violently grabbing and scratching with her nails at my inner thighs”, before Dominga ran to the door to ask for help.
Dominga then alleges that the woman hid for a while as others attempted to find her to remove the accused from the club, but when she was found, Dominga was “left alone again with no protection in front of the abuser”.
“She attacked my face with her nails and then grabbed me by the hair, dragging me all over the bar in front of at least 20 or 30 people while I was screaming for help,” she claims in a statement on Instagram.
Dominga claims that the woman misgendered her and attempted to accuse Dominga of attacks before she was eventually removed from the club. In a statement to Mixmag, she claims a “failure on the clubs part” to effectively step up.
Sameheads has since released a statement following the alleged assault, writing in an Instagram post on Saturday, September 7: “Last night our space was violated by behaviour of the worst kind”.
The club expressed solidarity with Dominga, claiming that the accused was “ejected swiftly, and will never be allowed to set foot in Sameheads again”.
In a statement to Mixmag, the club said: “We are obviously upset with what happened. Our venue has a long history of platforming marginalised groups, and indeed were doing so with the artists booked on the night in question.”
“After receiving testimony from my staff, it seems like they acted quickly to identify and remove the threat. The aggressor was immediately ejected by security, and banned, as this type of behaviour is absolutely forbidden at our venue,” they claimed.
Dominga shared some photos alongside her statement, showing scratches on her face and clumps of pulled out hair. Sameheads claims that staff adopted a “sympathetic approach” after the alleged incident.
“My staff are absolutely on the side of the affected in every way they can be,” they said in a statement. “As is always the culture inside our venue.”
Dominga claimed in her statement that another trans woman was also attacked later that same night, writing: “We were crying together as the only ones holding each other”.
Sameheads says it is in an open dialogue with Dominga, and is following up any action she wishes to take against the alleged perpetrator. The club also said that a police report has been filed.
“We will seek out help from relevant groups for additional training, as we can always improve our systems and protocols,” they said.
In a statement to Mixmag, a spokesperson for Dominga said that she is taking time to recover and recenter after the alleged assault.
Read both statements from Dominga and Sameheads below.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter