Twelve more women have come forward with allegations that Justin Sane, the former frontman of punk rock band Anti-Flag, had sexually assaulted them.
The allegations first surfaced in July when a woman claimed on a podcast that she had been raped by an unnamed punk singer. In response, Anti-Flag disbanded, with Sane releasing a statement calling the accusations “categorically false”. The band later issued a statement saying that a core tenet of Anti-Flag was to “listen to and believe all survivors of sexual violence and abuse”, and that Sane’s alleged actions were in direct contradiction to this. They also noted that during the 30-year run of the band, they had “never seen Justin be violent or aggressive toward women”.
Rolling Stone then published a report which included accounts from numerous women accusing Sane of sexual assault, with incidents ranging from the ’90s to 2020. The pattern in each account was similar, where Sane allegedly made eye contact with the women while performing, then approached them after the show. In some cases, the women were minors at the time of the incident. The woman who originally made the accusation confirmed that Sane was the man she had spoken of.
Furthermore, one woman alleged that Sane had assaulted her in the UK in 2020 and reported it to police, though they chose not to prosecute. Additionally, the women involved in the report accused Anti-Flag of complacency, saying that Sane’s behavior should have been seen as a red flag by his bandmates.
Sane has yet to comment on the allegations, but the other members of Anti-Flag released a statement, saying that they trusted everyone associated with the band to maintain a safe and respectful environment. They added that all predators must be held accountable for their inappropriate actions.
Anyone who has experienced sexual harassment, assault, or rape can get help and advice from Rape Crisis in the UK and RAINN in the US.
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