Anti-Flag‘s drummer Pat Thetic, guitarist Chris Head and bassist Chris “No. 2” Barker have issued a statement following further allegations of sexual misconduct against frontman Justin Sane.
Twelve women shared details of their experiences with Sane, born Justin Geever, in a Rolling Stone report published on Tuesday, September 5. Allegations include sexual assault and statutory rape; seven of the women said they were teenagers at the time of their encounters with Geever.
Rolling Stone also spoke with Kristina Sarhadi, who first shared that she was raped by the singer of an unnamed “political punk band” in a podcast before confirming she was talking about Geever. Following the podcast’s debut on July 19, Anti-Flag broke up.
In their latest statement, obtained by Rolling Stone, Thetic, Head and Barker say, “To Justin, we believe you are very sick and in need of serious professional help.”
“We want to have compassion and have faith in restorative justice, but f*** you for hurting so many people,” the statement reads. “Not just the ones who have bravely come forward, but anyone still carrying their pain internally.”
“F*** you for exploiting the work of the band and the many people associated with it for so long,” it continues. “As many predators do, it appears you used our beliefs as a cover for egregious activities that you clearly knew we would never condone.”
Geever has not responded to the latest allegations. Following Anti-Flag’s breakup announcement, Geever denied accusations of sexual assault as “categorically false.”
“I have never engaged in a sexual relationship that was not consensual, nor have I ever been approached by a woman after a sexual encounter and been told I had in any way acted without her consent or violated her in any way,” he said.
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
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