Four people testified to the American media pitchfork having been victims of sexual misconduct by the leader of the Montreal group Arcade Fire, Win Butler, between 2015 and 2020.
Posted at 9:47 p.m.
An alleged victim claims she was sexually assaulted twice in 2015 by Win Butler, when she was 21 and he was 34.
Three women have also accused the popular singer of inappropriate behavior towards them that occurred between 2016 and 2020, when they were between 18 and 23 years old. According to them, these interactions would have been inappropriate due to the age gap, the power dynamics and the context in which they occurred.
All the victims being anonymous in the survey published on Saturday by pitchforka benchmark media in the music industry, The Press could not verify these allegations.
In a lengthy statement that accompanied the article, Mr Butler vehemently denied having had non-consensual sex. “I’ve never touched a woman against her will, and any insinuation to that effect is simply untrue,” he said.
A non-binary person, nicknamed Lily, claims to have met the musician during a concert in Montreal, in January 2015, during which the singer would have given him his cell phone number.
After several exchanges by text message – and during which Lily would have established that she was not looking for a relationship of a sexual nature with Mr. Butler – the two would have met in a bar.
At the end of the evening, while he was driving Lily home, the singer allegedly slipped his hand into her pants, to which Win Butler replies that it would have rather touched “the inside of her thigh”.
Two days after the incident, Mr. Butler reportedly showed up at the door of Lily’s apartment, who claims to have repeatedly refused by text message that he do so.
“I opened my door and he slammed me against the wall and aggressively grabbed my body and stuck his tongue down my throat,” Lily testified, who then allegedly asked him to leave several times.
Eventually he pulled me onto his lap on my couch. I don’t know if he was holding me by the waist or what, but I was physically restrained by him, as he put his hand down my pants.
Lily
This is when the singer would finally leave, after repeated requests from the alleged victim.
To pitchfork, the Arcade Fire co-founder described a different interaction: “I never forced him, and when his mood changed, I stopped, checked, and left with no drama or problem. I would never assault anyone and I did not assault [Lily] “, he defended himself.
Explicit photos
A woman, 18 at the time of the alleged interactions, accuses Mr Butler of sending her explicit text messages and photos of her genitals without her consent in 2016.
“Win Butler asked me for nude photos and tried to sext me. And I told him that I was really uncomfortable with that, had written the young woman to a friend. I don’t really know what to do now. He keeps texting me. Again and again. »
In his version, the singer would have declined an invitation from the young woman to have sex, but he admitted to having misinterpreted certain signals sent by the alleged victim.
“I was drunk when I texted her and misinterpreted her not responding as she just wasn’t getting my texts,” he said.
In 2017 and 2018, two fans of the group interviewed by pitchfork would have been victims of similar behavior: the singer replied to their messages on Instagram before asking them for photos and videos of a sexual nature.
Mr Butler admitted to exchanging sexual messages with the two women, but strongly rejected accusations that their interactions were not consensual.
“I had consensual relationships outside of my marriage [avec Régine Chassagne, aussi membre d’Arcade Fire]. There is no easy way to say this, and the hardest thing I had to do was have to share this with my son. The majority of those relationships have been short-lived, and my wife knows that—our marriage has, in the past, been more unconventional than others,” Win Butler said.
“I say this to all of you, my friends, my family, to everyone I’ve hurt, and to people who love my music and are shocked and disappointed by this article: I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused — I’m sorry for not being more aware and more mindful of the effect I have on people — I screwed up, and although it’s not a sorry, I will continue to look forward and heal what can be healed, and learn from past experiences. I can do better and I will do better. »
The Press tried to reach Sony Music, which represents Arcade Fire, on Saturday evening, without success.