Arcade Fire Win Butler

Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler has been accused of sexual assault by three women and a gender-fluid person. He claimed encounters were "consensual."

"I have stood by him because I know he is a good man who cares about this world, our band, his fans, friends, and our family," she said. That simply, and unequivocally, never happened," Butler said. "We immediately talked on the phone and although she indicated her depression was not related to me, I left that conversation committed to never sleeping with someone again that I fundamentally knew so little about. "I remember being so nervous and so ashamed that I did it," Sarah said. "I did everything because it was him," Sarah said. Butler was 36 at the start of the allegations.

Three women and one nonbinary person described inappropriate sexual interactions with the indie rock star in a report by Pitchfork.

"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 certain he never did," she said. "I felt incredibly low," the woman told Pitchfork. One of them said that following a sexual encounter in her bedroom she attempted suicide. Throughout the story, the site included responses from Butler in which he provided contrasting accounts of the specific incidents. In a lengthy statement about the article, Butler confirmed that he had relationships with the four individuals and said his wife and fellow bandmate Régine Chassagne was aware of the extramarital affairs. A fourth person claimed that Butler sexually assaulted them in a car and at their home in 2015 when they were 21 and he was 34.

Win Butler, who performs with wife Régine Chassagne in Arcade Fire, has been accused of sexual misconduct by four people.

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 certain he never did. I say to you all my friends, family, to anyone I have hurt and to the people who love my music and are shocked and disappointed by this report: I’m sorry. I can do better and I will do better. There is no easy way to say this, and the hardest thing I have ever done is having to share this with my son. Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain. But at times, it has been difficult to balance being the father, husband, and bandmate that I want to be. I was noticing her spiraling and more troubled than I’d seen her in a while, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.” We have been together for twenty years, she is my partner in music and in life, my soulmate and I am lucky and grateful to have her by my side. I stopped and I left.” I can now see how it could be overwhelming thinking back to when I was 18, but at the time I didn’t appreciate that.” The woman claimed that after that meeting, Butler repeatedly sent her explicit texts and photos without her consent or reciprocation; she said she told him she was uncomfortable and texted to him, “Sorry I really hate sexting.” Butler, meanwhile, claimed that “we met up for a drink and she got quite drunk and was asking me forcefully if there was somewhere we could sleep together,” but the woman denied making an advance. [They] never asked me to leave, and I never berated [them].

The Canadian musician, who co-founded Arcade Fire in 2001, has responded to the accounts in the Pitchfork report by stating: “While these relationships were all ...

I say to you all my friends, family, to anyone I have hurt and to the people who love my music and are shocked and disappointed by this report: I’m sorry. 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 certain he never did. I continued to doubt the validity of my behaviours and my assertion of my ‘no’ and lack of consent for months after.” There is no easy way to say this, and the hardest thing I have ever done is having to share this with my son. Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain. He has lost his way and he has found his way back. Continuing, Butler added: “As I look to the future, I am continuing to learn from my mistakes and working hard to become a better person, someone my son can be proud of. I can do better and I will do better.“ But at times, it has been difficult to balance being the father, husband, and bandmate that I want to be. I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud. We have been together for twenty years, she is my partner in music and in life, my soulmate and I am lucky and grateful to have her by my side. One of the anonymous sources under the pseudonym Lily, however, claims that he touched and kissed her without expressed consent and that she was forced to shout at him to stop.

Multiple people have accused the Arcade Fire frontman of "inappropriate" behavior.

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 certain he never did. I say to you all my friends, family, to anyone I have hurt and to the people who love my music and are shocked and disappointed by this report: I’m sorry. He has lost his way and he has found his way back. Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain. There is no easy way to say this, and the hardest thing I have ever done is having to share this with my son. I can do better and I will do better. I have stood by him because I know he is a good man who cares about this world, our band, his fans, friends, and our family. I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud. But at times, it has been difficult to balance being the father, husband, and bandmate that I want to be. We have been together for twenty years, she is my partner in music and in life, my soulmate and I am lucky and grateful to have her by my side. It’s after that where the stories diverge, with most of the accusers saying that Butler made unwanted advances and Butler saying that everything between him and these accusers had been entirely consensual. Pitchfork says that at least one of the accusers (their accounts are all presented pseudonymously) found Butler’s statement “frustrating” because he both apologized and “challenged their recollections point by point.