'Arcade Fire' singer Win Butler accused of sexual misconduct by 4 people
Aug 28, 2022
Washington [US], August 28 : Rock band Arcade Fire's frontman Win Butler has been accused of sexual misconduct by four people.
Variety shared a detailed report by Pitchfork wherein three women alleged that their encounters with Win Butler were "inappropriate given the gaps in age, power dynamics, and the context in which they occurred".
According to Variety's reporting of the Pitchfork report, the fourth person was gender-fluid and alleged that Win Butler sexually assaulted them twice in 2015.
According to Variety, Butler, who co-founded the band with his wife, Regine Chassagne, in 2001, has acknowledged the encounters but denies the allegations, insisting that they were consensual through a spokeswoman.
Butler and Chassagne have provided statements. When reached by Variety on Saturday, a band representative stated there was nothing else to add.
Variety reports, that all three of the ladies, who had a high love for Arcade Fire, claim that they "grew to feel [their sexual interactions with Butler] were inappropriate given the gaps in age, power dynamics, and the context in which they occurred." They claim that the encounters occurred between 2016 and 2020, while he was between 36 and 39, and started when they were both between 18 and 23.
The fourth victim claims Butler assaulted them twice in 2015 when they were 21 and he was 34, alleging that Butler committed the crimes: Once when they were in a car together, and once after he allegedly returned to their apartment in spite of text messages requesting that he not do so.
Variety reports that Pitchfork claims to have seen screenshots of their and Butler's text and Instagram communications and spoken with friends and family members who claimed to have heard about the alleged occurrences. The four people all use pseudonyms in the account.
Variety further reports that Butler, who responded through crisis public-relations rep Risa Heller, acknowledged having sexual interactions with each of the four people, but maintained that they were consensual, and not initiated by him.
