The DJ and producer from Dundee said the degrading incident left her cousin in tears.
Scots DJ Hannah Laing was “detained and strip-searched” after sharing a toilet with her cousin at a German music festival.
The Dundee-based star was performing at Isle of Summer in Munich when she and her cousin went into a portable toilet together after her set on Saturday.
She claims after leaving the toilet they were detained by four undercover police officers and frogmarched through the crowds.
The 31-year-old said the two women were then subjected to a “degrading and embarrassing” strip search that left her cousin in tears.
Sharing her ordeal on Instagram she said: “At first we genuinely thought they were joking until they walked us through the festival in front of everyone with our hands held together.
“I had just come off stage after performing, so it felt seriously humiliating being seen [by] ravers.
“We were taken to a private tent and handed over to female officers who told us they suspected we had been taking drugs because we went to the toilet together. I told them that we hadn’t.
“They then said they needed to search us. I assumed this meant checking pockets/bags. One officer held my hands and the other did an invasive search all over, including in my underwear (front and back) feeling absolutely everywhere. I felt extremely degraded and embarrassed. My cousin was crying because she felt the same.
“They found nothing because we weren’t taking drugs.”
Hannah said the situation felt “disproportionate” and said security signs made no mention of being intimately searched for sharing a toilet.
She added: “At no point were we clearly told that this would be such an intimate search. If we had been given the option, we would have left the festival and not agreed to a strip search.
“The officers told us there was signs on the Portaloos but it was written in German, which we don’t speak. The sign states: ‘Anyone who enters a booth/cabin with two people (or more) will be banned and removed from the event’.
“Nowhere did it state that attendees could be subjected to an invasive strip-style search. I completely understand how important it is that festivals have drug policies. But the situation felt disproportionate.
“I could understand a more serious search if there had been suspicion of selling drugs. Regardless of festival policies this shouldn’t be considered normal treatment at any event. I also want to make it clear this is not the festival’s fault.
“They looked after us extremely well and were also appalled at the situation.”
Isle of Summer has been asked for comment.
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