Hannah Laing details horrifying security interaction after German festival appearance

May 13, 2026

The DJ says the incident left her feeling “degraded and embarrassed” after undercover officers detained her and her cousin at a German festival.

Over the March 8, 2026, weekend, Hannah Laing performed at a festival in Germany and is now speaking out on Instagram about what she describes as a deeply invasive security interaction involving her and her cousin.

After finishing her set, Hannah said she wanted to watch another artist perform. Before heading to the stage, the two stopped at the festival’s portaloos toilets. With long bathroom lines, they decided to enter the stall together to save time, something many women commonly do at festivals and clubs for convenience and safety. However, when they exited the toilet, Hannah said they were immediately approached and detained by four undercover police officers.

Because the signs outside the bathrooms were written in German, Hannah and her cousin said they did not understand the rules posted outside the stalls. According to Hannah, the situation escalated so quickly that they initially believed it was a joke.

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A post shared by Hannah Laing (@hannahlaingdj)

In her Instagram statement, Hannah explained that the officers walked them through the festival grounds “with our hands held together” in front of nearby attendees.

“I had just come off stage after performing, so it felt seriously humiliating being seen by ravers,” she wrote.

The pair were then reportedly taken to a private tent and handed over to female officers, who explained they were suspected of taking drugs because they had entered the bathroom together.

Hannah denied the accusation and said neither of them had taken drugs. However, she claims the officers proceeded with an invasive physical search anyway.

According to Hannah, the women were never clearly informed about the extent of the search beforehand. Instead of a routine bag or pocket check, Hannah alleged one officer restrained her hands while another conducted an intimate physical search involving “the front and back” of her underwear.

“Feeling absolutely everywhere. I felt extremely degraded and embarrassed. My cousin was crying because she felt the same,” Hannah wrote.

The officers reportedly found nothing. Hannah emphasized that her criticism is not about festivals enforcing drug policies, but rather the severity of the response and the issue of consent. “I completely understand how important it is that festivals have drug policies,” she explained. “But the situation felt disproportionate.” She added that if security had simply asked them to leave the festival, they would have complied immediately.

According to Hannah, the officers later explained that signs outside the portaloos stated that “anyone who enters a booth/cabin with two people (or more) will be banned and removed from the event.” However, Hannah noted that the signage was only written in German and did not indicate that attendees could be subjected to an invasive strip-style search.

The DJ also clarified that she does not blame the festival itself for what happened. She made it very clear this was not the festival’s fault. She explained in her post, adding that festival staff were “appalled” after hearing about the incident and treated them with care afterward.

The post quickly sparked widespread discussion throughout the electronic music community. Sara Landry commented, “this is so awful hannah I’m so sorry this happened,” while Azzecca added, “hope you’re ok babe. Can’t imagine having this happen.” One highly-liked comment read: “It’s actually really common for two girls to go into the toilet together at festivals because it’s safer, same in nightclubs. The men commenting saying otherwise clearly don’t understand. What a privilege.”

Hannah later reinforced what she says is the central issue behind the experience: “The main point of this is CONSENT. So many men in the comments not understanding that you need to ASK to touch someone!! Disturbing af.”