Women who reported abuse from 'well known musician' faced with defamation case

News
By ( Louder ) published

Hit by a defamation lawsuit after speaking out against 'a well known musician' and his 'treatment of women’, the group Solidarity Not Silence forms and seeks funding to fight legal battle

A shot of solidarity not silence artwork

A group of female musicians and survivors who spoke out about the abuse of a “well-known musician” towards his former partners have come forward after being hit with a defamation case as a result of their comments.

The women, who have chosen to remain anonymous, have launched the Solidarity Not Silence crowdfunding campaign in response, to allow them to fight their impending legal battles against the musician who they are now referring to as ‘A’.

A statement on their Crowd Justice site reads: “Our group includes one of A’s ex-girlfriends – one of several of his former partners who are facing a libel claim, and feminist musicians who spoke out in support of these women.

“Legal papers have been served against all of us. By coming together as a group, we have managed to personally fund our legal defence through the various stages up until the claim was finally served against us in court on August 2, 2017.

“Not only has this lengthy process been very expensive, there has also been tremendous emotional and psychological impact. Most of us have suffered severely with our mental health as a result, but we refuse to give up.”

The campaign, launched officially earlier this week, was met with intense support from music fans and musicians – including Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna – and raised its initial target of £9000 in under 24 hours. Now, the campaign has stretched its target to £20,000 to cover the ongoing stages of their defence.

“We do not want our case to set a precedent for silencing marginalised voices in the music industry and beyond,” the statement concludes. “We need to keep fighting even though we do not have the same power, fame or financial backing as A, as we do not believe that money should be a barrier to accessing justice.

“We refuse to be silenced and we believe we must pursue justice.”

Find out more about the case and campaign at the Solidarity Not Silence CrowdJustice page.