Fans of the band have accused Win Butler of sexual assault, which resulted in one of the alleged victims attempting suicide with an opioid overdose.
Four distinct women have accused Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler of sexual assault.
Three of the four accusers were ardent band followers.
Butler has been married to Regine Chassange of Arcade Fire for about twenty years.
He has disputed the abuse charges but not his relationship with the accusers.
Butler explains his infidelity to a period of sadness during which he used alcohol to self-medicate.
If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence, please contact RAINN or dial 1-800-656-4677 to reach the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline.
Win Butler, the vocalist of the renowned indie rock band Arcade Fire, is accused of sexual assault by four substantially younger followers.
The claims were released in a blockbuster story by Pitchfork on Saturday.
Four pseudonymous ladies were interviewed for the article. They were between 18 and 23 years old during their contacts with Butler. Between 36 and 39 years old.
In response to one of the alleged acts of wrongdoing, one of the ladies attempted suicide with an opioid overdose.
According to Pitchfork, their stories were corroborated by interviews with family members and a study of Butler’s text and social media messages with the alleged victims.
Butler, age 42, has been married to Arcade Fire singer Regine Chassange since 2003. In 2001, they formed the band together. Together, the couple has a son.
Butler is referenced numerous times in the Pitchfork story, refuting and categorically denying the majority of the charges. He acknowledges having sexual intercourse with the women but denies any involvement of compulsion.
Butler is referenced numerous times in the Pitchfork story, refuting and categorically denying the majority of the charges.
Since 2003, 42-year-old Butler has been married to pictured Arcade Fire singer Regine Chassange. In 2001, they formed the band together. Together, the couple has a son.
Chassange also made a statement defending her husband against the allegations.
As a result of the piece, Risa Heller, a prominent public relations expert, will represent Butler.
The Pitchfork article claims that Butler’s interactions with women occurred between 2016 and 2020, when he was between 36 and 39 years old.
According to a portion of the Pitchfork article, the fans grew to believe that their sexual contacts with Butler were wrong due to the disparities in age, power relations, and setting.
All but one of the interviewed women were avid Arcade Fire fans.
In one instance, a 21-year-old woman said that Butler touched her inappropriately while they were in a car together.
The woman, who uses they/them pronouns, stated that Butler showed up uninvited at their home on another occasion. They claim Butler regularly and aggressively attempted to initiate sexual contact.
Additionally, they said that Butler criticized them for rejecting him. They told Pitchfork, “He thought my behavior was strange, so perhaps I was in the wrong.”
In one section of the Pitchfork article, it is stated that the fans started to believe that their sexual contacts with Butler were wrong due to the disparities in age, power relations, and setting.
Another lady who claimed she was 18 when she met Butler and posted an Instagram photo of them together at a charity basketball tournament.
They stated, ‘In retrospect, it’s rather simple to spot the manipulation at the heart of that interaction. It’s also rather evident that it worked. I continued to question the veracity of my actions, “no” assertion, and lack of permission for months afterward.
Another lady who claimed she was 18 when she met Butler and posted an Instagram photo of them together at a charity basketball tournament. The musician reached out to her over social media as a result.
She claims that Butler drank her to intoxication at a pub he co-owns. She then told Pitchfork that Butler continually criticized her for sending sexual text messages.
She claims that Butler emailed her photos of his genitalia without her permission. Pitchfork quotes a friend as stating, “She was crushed.”
Before heading out for drinks, according to Butler, the two were sexting. He claims that the youngster made a sexual proposal, but he did not feel comfortable and sent her home in a cab.
Although she admits to drinking, the youngster told Pitchfork, “That’s not who I am.”
Two more women, under the aliases Sarah and Fiona, revealed to Pitchfork a’remarkably identical set of claimed requests’ made by Butler.
Sarah stated, “He essentially exploited me as his personal therapist and as an easy way to have sex over the phone. FaceTimes would consist solely of him hanging up after he hangs up. I felt ill every day after completing it.
Butler blamed his adultery to a period of sadness during which he self-medicated with alcohol, according to a statement on the website.
Butler stated, “I have engaged in consensual relationships outside of my marriage.” There is no simple way to express this.
Sarah’s mother noted a shift in her daughter around this time, noticing that she was no longer talking about Arcade Fire, purchasing their new album, or attending concerts.
Butler stated of his interactions with Sarah, ‘We started sexting and talking a lot, but I felt increasingly uncomfortable when she began attending all my DJ events and frequenting my restaurant to the point where I had to get security to keep her at a distance.’
In the meantime, Fiona stated that she had sexual relations with Butler in Vancouver before to the band’s performance there.
She stated that she attempted suicide with medications after the encounter. Fiona told Pitchfork, “The burden of having to keep everything a secret, continually sacrificing my needs to appease him, a lack of boundaries, and the guilt of being the other woman became too difficult to ignore.”
Butler is portrayed in the narrative as being astonished when Fiona later disclosed that their interaction had been emotionally taxing on her.
In a statement, Butler’s wife stated, “I know what is in his heart, and I know he has never and would never touch a woman without her consent.”
In a statement to the website, Butler blamed his infidelity on a period of melancholy during which he used alcohol as self-medication. The frontman stated that his wife’s miscarriage contributed in part to his despair.
Butler stated, “I have engaged in consensual relationships outside of my marriage.”
There is no simple way to say this, and sharing this with my son has been the most difficult thing I have ever done.
He stated that his wife was aware of the unorthodox nature of their connection.
Butler continues, “I have never touched a woman against her will, and any inference to the contrary is incorrect.”
While his wife’s testimony included the following: ‘I know what is in his heart, and I know he has never and would never touch a woman without her consent, and I am positive that he has never done so. He has become disoriented but has since regained his bearings.
It went on to say, “I love him and the life we’ve created together.”
Please contact RAINN or call the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4357 if you or someone you know is experiencing sexual violence.