Fellow performer Marie Davidson details events that ended with Mauer in jail and her being kicked out of the festival.

Montreal artist Marie Davidson has detailed a disturbing and violent altercation between security and fellow performer Inga Mauer this past weekend at Helsinki’s Flow Festival.

In a Facebook post, Davidson says she came upon festival security guards “[holding] a girl on the ground while she was screaming.” After approaching, she realized the alleged victim was Mauer, who had performed at the festival two hours prior.

“She said they violently dragged her out of one of the festival area because she refused to leave right away. I tried to interfere and explain that I knew her and that I wanted to help her calm down because she was extremely confused and scared,” Davidson explains.

Security then are alleged to have isolated the two from the crowd and refused to let Davidson approach or touch Mauer, who Davidson claims says was bleeding and in shock. She then explains police arrived and arrested Mauer before “two security guys took me by the arms and threw me out in the street out of the festival zone.”

“I told them I needed to at least be in touch with someone because I had no internet, no driver and no taxi were taking people to any place at this hour. They laughed and said ‘go figure it out’ and then closed the fence leaving me in an total unknown place without any ways of reaching out for help,” she said.

After spending the night in jail, Mauer has since been released. Read Davidson’s full statement here.

In a statement to FACT, Flow Festival said they were “at a loss for words” about the episode calling Mauer and Davidson “lovely friends”. The festival say they are currently in “serious discussions” with lawyers and the security company Local Crew Oy, who they say had been “trusted subcontractor for many years”, but “failed to do their job in the right manner.” They also criticize the police for “acting threateningly” and refusing “to give us any information after taking Inga Mauer to jail overnight.”

Read their full statement below.


“We, the three partners of Flow Festival, Suvi Kallio, Tuomas Kallio and Toni Rantanen, are still at a loss for words and very sad about the episode that happened at the Flow Festival area early Sunday morning. Inga Mauer and Marie Davidson are artists and lovely friends who Toni Rantanen booked to perform at the festival. It came to our knowledge that members of the security staff had used violence against Inga Mauer. Marie Davidson, who approached to try to help her, was inappropriately thrown out of the festival area. Even the police who came to sort out the situation acted threateningly and refused to give us any information after taking Inga Mauer to jail overnight.

Flow Festival does not approve the use of violence and we were shocked and very sad to hear this. We are truly sorry for what Inga Mauer and Marie Davidson had to go through.

Luckily we have video, photos and eyewitnesses. As festival organizers, we take responsibility of this incident and will make sure everything will be investigated and taken care of properly. Serious discussions are underway with our lawyers and the subcontractor Local Crew Oy that was responsible for Flow Festival’s 2017 security. Compensation for the victims must follow and something similar can never ever happen again. The security company has been a trusted subcontractor for many years but now they have failed to do their job in the right manner.”

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