Anti-Flag are addressing their sudden break up, with Justin Sane issuing a statement denying allegations of sexual assault.
The Pittsburgh punk group abruptly disbanded last week, deleting their website and social media pages without any explanation. The breakup, however, appeared to be tied to sexual assault allegations leveled against an unnamed singer of a political punk band that many believed was Sane.
In his new statement shared on Instagram, Sane called any allegations against him “categorically false,” adding, “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. Now that I have had a few days to absorb the initial shock, I am making this statement to set the record straight.”
Sane called the statements about him “the antithesis of what I believe and how I have conducted myself throughout my life.” Despite his denial, he acknowledged that Anti-Flag broke up because “under these circumstances it would be impossible to continue.”
Sane’s former bandmates, Chris Head, Chris Barker, and Pat Thetic, echoed this in their own statement. “A core tenet of the band Anti-Flag is to listen to and believe all survivors of sexual violence and abuse,” they said. “The recent allegations about Justin are in direct contradiction to that tenet. Therefore, we felt the only immediate option was to disband.”
The trio added that they had been “shocked, confused, saddened and absolutely heartbroken” since first hearing the allegations. While acknowledging the severity of the claims, they added, “In the last 30 years we have never seen Justin be violent or aggressive toward women. This experience has shaken us to our core.”
In closing, Head, Barker, and Thetic said: “We understand and apologize that this response may not have been quick enough for some people. This is new territory for all of us and it is taking time for us to process the situation. It was a privilege for us to be in the band Anti-Flag, as we seek to find our path forward we wish healing to all survivors.”
Following the breakup news last week, several bands — including Reconciler, Hanalei, Darien Gap, and Celebration Summer — announced they would be parting ways with Anti-Flag’s label, A-F Records.