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Hannah Laing Speaks Out After “Degrading” Police Search At German Festival
The Scottish DJ said she and her cousin were subjected to an intimate search after sharing a festival toilet cabin, with no substances found
Hannah Laing says she was stopped after sharing a toilet cabin
Hannah Laing has spoken out after what she described as a humiliating and disproportionate police search at a festival in Germany.
In an Instagram post captioned “Don’t go to the toilet with your mate at German festivals,” the Scottish DJ and producer said she had just finished DJing at the event and wanted to watch another artist perform.
Before heading to the stage, Laing said she and her cousin entered a portaloo together because the queues were long, something she described as normal at festivals.
According to Laing, they were stopped as soon as they left the cabin by four undercover police officers. She said they initially thought the officers were joking, before being walked through the festival in front of other attendees.
Laing said the moment felt “seriously humiliating,” especially because she had just come off stage after performing.
Laing says the search became invasive
According to Laing, she and her cousin were taken to a private tent and handed over to female officers, who told them they were suspected of taking drugs because they had gone into the toilet together.
Laing said she denied taking drugs and initially assumed the search would involve checking pockets or bags. Instead, she described the procedure as invasive, saying one officer held her hands while another searched her, including inside her underwear.
“I felt extremely degraded and embarrassed,” Laing wrote. She also said her cousin was crying because she felt the same.
The DJ said no substances were found, adding: “They found nothing because we weren’t taking drugs.”
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The DJ questioned how the policy was communicated
Laing also raised questions about how clearly the policy was explained. According to her post, officers told her there were signs on the portaloos, but she said the warning was written in German, which she does not speak.
The sign shown in her post stated that anyone entering a booth or cabin with two people or more could be banned and removed from the event. It also stated that violations of Germany’s narcotics law could be reported.
However, Laing said the sign did not state that attendees could be subjected to what she described as an “invasive strip style search.”
“At no point were we clearly told that this would be such an intimate search,” she wrote, adding that she would have left the festival rather than agree to the procedure if she had been given the option.
Safety should never come without dignity
Laing made clear that she understands the importance of drug policies at festivals. However, she said the situation felt disproportionate.
“I completely understand how important it is that festivals have drug policies,” she wrote. “But the situation felt disproportionate.”
She added that she could understand a more serious search if there had been suspicion of selling drugs, but said this “shouldn’t be considered normal treatment at any event.”
Laing also stressed that she does not blame the festival organisers, saying they looked after her and her cousin “extremely well” and were also appalled by the situation.
This is not only a story about one artist. It is a reminder that women DJs, artists and fans deserve safety without humiliation, protection without fear and respect in every space where electronic music exists.
Drug safety remains a serious issue in nightlife and festival culture. But safety policies should never be carried out in a way that leaves women feeling humiliated, exposed or degraded.
When a woman in the industry speaks publicly about an experience like this, the scene should listen. It should also ask whether enforcement procedures are being communicated clearly, applied proportionately and handled with the dignity every person deserves.
At the time of writing, DJane Mag has not found a public statement from German police responding directly to Laing’s account.