#NoAbusersOnStage

2025 is third consecutive year MACS is running our #NoAbusersOnStage Campaign.

We urge everyone, but in particular boys and men to get involved to support women, raise awareness and challenge abusers and their enablers.

WHY WE CONTINUE TO RUN THE #NoAbusersOnStage CAMPAINGN

Male artists and entertainers continue to (sexually) abuse women and girls. Vast numbers of women and girls are sexually harassed and assaulted at music festivals and in the night time economy by men and boys.

THE AIMS OF THE #NoAbusersOnStage CAMPAIGN

1. 1. Support and believe women who come forward to share their experiences of abuse by men, be they powerful celebrities or fellow fans at a concert, festival or event.

1. 1. Raise awareness about entertainers who have (sexually) abused women, yet yet continue to be supported by the mainstream.

1. 1. Challenge abusive men and their enablers (e.g. promoters, record labels, film studios, fans etc.) who are continuing to perform / work, despite facing charges for abusive behaviours, as this is putting women and girls at risk.

RECENT CONTEXT

Sean Combs: Sex trafficking & sexual assault

After years of violent and abusive behaviour, a massive trial will finally be brought against Sean Combs (a.k.a. Puff Daddy, P. Diddy). Combs was indicted on including sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. It is believed that 100+ males and females, including 20+ minors, have come forward and shared their experiences of sexual assault perpetrated by Combs. Combs’ abuse spans a period of over 30 years from 1991 to 2024. (Helmore, 2024)

Jay-Z: Rape of a minor

One of the men said to have facilitated and taken part in Combs’ sexual abuse is Jay-Z. Jay-Z and his legal team relied on very aggressive tactics to get the case dismissed and also to try and force the accuser, known as ‘Jane Doe’ to reveal her identity. (Sky News, 2024)

Marilyn Manson: Sexual exploitation, assault and abuse

Several women have come forward to share their experiences of Manson’s (sexually) abusive behaviour, including upskirting, sexual exploitation, manipulation, psychological abuse and human trafficking. Two lawsuit for rape were settled by Marilyn Manson. Other suits have been dismissed. Earlier this year lawsuits by four women against Manson, for sexual and physical abuse, were dismissed because the statute of limitations had passed. (Drenon, 2025)

Despite this Manson completed a 26-date tour of the USA and the successfully released a new album in 2024. Today (10 January 2025) Manson is embarking on an already sold-out 10-date European tour, visiting Switzerland, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Denmark and 3 locations across the UK before continuing in the USA and Peru.

Nelly: Rape and sexual assault

Rapper Nelly settled two separate cases with women who said they had been raped and sexually assaulted by him (Cunningham, 2024). Rapper Nelly performed at a number of festivals and a special guest with Janet Jackson in the USA in 2024. In 2025 Nelly is embarking on his ‘Where the Party At’ world tour, playing 56 gigs with guests including Ja Rule, Eve, St. Lunatics, Fabolous, Jermaine Dupri and Chingy.

WHAT WE ARE CALLING FOR

• • We call on broadcasters and journalists to change their language and reporting and to adhere to Zero Tolerance’s Media Guidelines on Violence Against Women (2018).

• • We call on the music and entertainment industries to postpone events (incl. record & film releases or concerts) until full investigations or trials involving entertainers have concluded.

• • We call on police forces to investigate any complaints fully, thoroughly and without prejudice and to work with forces internationally if needed.

• • We call for decisive legal actions to be taken against abusers who are found guilty. Sentencing should include imprisonment, fines, compensation (including paying for any therapy or other services the victim may need), travel restrictions and a need for the perpetrator to access services like therapy to address their harmful behaviours and attitudes. Sentencing should be in line with the severity of the crime(s) and risk of reoffending.

SUPPORT #NoAbusersOnStage

• • Follow our hashtags #NoAbusersOnStage / #NoAbusersOnStage2025 on social media.

• • Share our social media posts with your networks.

• • Contact venues, festivals & promoters to share your views about their work with abusers.

• • Talk to people about this important issue.

• • Lastly, if you are aware of any male musicians who have abused women or girls and are touring in 2025, please let us know by tagging us or emailing allies@menchallengingsexism.org.uk. 

DAILY ACTIONS FOR MEN

• • Attend a bystander workshop or training session. The West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership will be running a number of online workshops between February and March 2025 in collaboration with Graham Goulden.

• • Educate ourselves about the scale of the problem.

• • Speak to our male friends and family about it.

• • Reconsider our choice of entertainment: think about whether you are listening or watching content by men or featuring men who are known to be abusive, endorse or promote sexism and misogyny or violence against women and girls.

• • Stop supporting abusive men directly and indirectly: don’t buy their music, watch their films or shows, listen to them on streaming services or attend their gigs.

• • Contact and question the venues and festivals who give abusive men platforms via social media and email.

WHAT MEN SHOULD DO AT FESTIVALS & EVENTS

• • Report any abusive behaviour / harassment to security or staff.

• • If you are unable to engage others / report it, use bystander skills. Check out the Breaking the Silence website and That Guy.

• • Always take action responsibly when you witness another man or boy assaulting or harassing a woman or girl.

• • Speak out if one of your male friends harasses or assaults a woman or girl.

• • Obviously: DO NOT HARASS OR ASSAULT WOMEN OR GIRLS!

A NOTE ON MISOGYNY & ABUSE OF FEMALE MUSICIANS

Misogyny, abuse and assault is not only perpetrated by male celebrities against females who attend concerts, festivals and events. Female performers and celebrities also experience misogyny and abuse at the hands of men in the entertainment industry and male attendees.

Last year singer Karla Chubb spoke out after she was groped after a gig (BBC, 2024).

We were glad to see the government’s Women and Equalities Commission (WEC) address the issues surrounding misogyny in music last year.

Listening to the follow-up for Misogyny in Music this January, was shocking with regards to the horrible experiences women and girls experience in the music industry.

The committee heard how hard it was for women to publicly come forward to speak about their experiences of misogyny and abuse, due to the fear of repercussions, including loss of livelihood as well as no action being taken after reports are made.

If you have some time, we really recommend you watch some of the Misogyny in Music: Follow-up session.

You can also find out more in the government’s Misogyny in Music report (House of Commons, 2024).

PRESS ENQUIRIES: allies@menchallengingsexism.org.uk

FURTHER BACKGROUND TO WHY WE STARTED THE CAMPAIGN IN 2023

ABUSE CULTURE

The wider aim of the #NoAbusersOnStage campaign is to highlight the societal pandemic of male abuse of women and girls, which is happening at events, venues, festivals and gigs in the UK and across the world. The continues support and platforming of abusers and the resulting embracing of ‘abuse culture’ within the entertainment industry (including studios, record labels, promoters and venues) is one of the main factors that continues maintains men’s abuse of women and girls.

Recent research has shown that festivals have become hotbeds for ‘drive-by’ assaults by men, with more than 1 in 3 women being assaulted or harassed (Hymas, 2022). The lacking safety of women is a huge concern and festivals need to do more to tackle the problem. Men and boys are getting away with being abusive and women and girls are suffering. 

WHAT FESTIVALS AND VENUES NEED TO DO

It is not enough for massive festivals like for instance Glastonbury, which attracts over 200,000 people, to provide a single SARSAS (Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support) stall, as they did in 2022 (SARSAS, 2022) and 2023.

Encouraging women and girls to report abuse when it happens is also not enough. Women and girls who experience abuse or harassment will be shocked and traumatised and it is not a reasonable expectation for them to be the ones who need to take responsibility for bringing the perpetrator(s) to justice. Festivals have a duty to take up their responsibility when it comes to this.

There need to be groups of specially trained visible staff present at festivals and events who can support women and girls and prevent perpetrators from getting away. There also needs to be a more visible police and security presence, so they can step in and take action when required.

Festivals, venues and event spaces need to publicly communicate that any male harassing or assaulting females will be removed, barred for life and that the police will be informed. Festivals need to work together to ensure abusers are barred from festivals across the UK and indeed the world if possible. There needs to be an ‘Events Watch’.

Festivals, event spaces and promoters should also encourage bystander intervention and actively make it easier for women to seek support and make concerns heard. Event attendees, crew, bar staff, litter pickers, stewards, and anyone attending any festival needs to be educated / encouraged to educate educate themselves about the prevalence of the problem and learn the skills to be able to contribute actively to a safe festival for women and girls. They need to know how to be an active bystander, and to whom they can report an incident. We need to speak to our friends and colleagues about this. It is all of our responsibility, though particularly men’s, to make sure that festivals and events are safe for women and girls!

‘A FEW BAD APPLES’

Within our societies (patriarchies), you will often hear the narrative that abusive men are just ‘a few bad apples’, that women ‘lie’ about being abused by men and that ‘men’s lives are ruined by women’s supposedly ‘false’ allegations‘ of abuse (rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, emotional abuse & financial abuse etc), resulting in an outpour of sympathy for the accused men.

This narrative is often especially strong when male celebrities / entertainers are involved, with women and girls routinely accused of fabricating abuse or of being after money.

Take for instance the music industry. There are significant numbers of male musicians who have abused women and girls, but there is often a sense that these are exceptions. There is also a tendency to remember the few men that have been ‘disgraced’ or ‘cancelled’, like Gary Glitter or Rolf Harris, and forget about the swathes of other men who have been accused, charged or sentenced for abusing women and girls and those who have reached settlements.

SOME STATISTICS ABOUT ABUSE

It is important to keep in mind those cases we do not hear about as much. To put abuse into context, let’s remind ourselves that 5 in 6 women who are raped don’t report (Rape Crisis, 2023), that 53% of domestic abuse victims report an instance of domestic abuse at least twice before they felt appropriate action was taken by the police (Victim Support, 2022), that we have a failing justice system where only 1 in 100 rapes recorded by the police in 2021 resulted in a charge that same year and that with 70,633 reported rapes in the year ending September 2022, that same time period saw charges being brought in only 2,616 cases (Rape Crisis, 2023). 

In recent interview-based research project conducted in the UK, which involved 13 women who had attended at least 1 festival in the previous years, women “spoke about the normalisation of unwanted attention, harassment, touching and violence at festivals. Unwanted comments from men were a recurrent experience, and several described being groped in crowded stage areas as being a routine part of attending a festival, whilst others shared experiences of being followed back to their tent, or raped.” (Hannah Bows, 2023).

NO CASE ≠ NO ABUSE

We also need to remind ourselves that if an accused man cannot legally be prosecuted, this in no way means he did not commit the abuse. What it simply means is that there is no viable case (evidence) that will hold up in a court of law or that the victim retracted, which can happen for various reasons. In domestic violence cases, for instance, retraction is often due to the woman wanting to stay in the relationship, leaving the relationship, wanting to maintain the family unit, preferring other solutions such as restraining or non-molestation orders (Hopkins, 2023) as well as “fear of reprisals; safety of their children; increased family pressures or serious financial repercussions; fear of being ‘outed’; fear of a lack of support by the criminal justice system, or specialist support organisations or emotional attachment or loyalty towards the offender”. (Crown Prosecution Service, 2022).

THE REALITY

Let’s be clear, these are not a few bad apples; instead, there are plenty of abusive male entertainers with status, who continue to work and touring the world’s stages in 2025. The reason they’re able to abuse and continue to be relatively unaffected in their careers is power. The power of being a man in a misogynistic world that is forgiving to men and punitive to women, where men hold the majority of the media and financial power and where men’s abusive behaviour is often dismissed as if it was inconsequential or a joke.

Yes, all these men may be powerful in terms of the money behind them, but it wasn’t always like that. Axl Rose and Slash for instance were charged with statutory rape in 1985, when barely anyone had even heard of Guns N’ Roses. It’s not just financial power that enables these men to abuse women and girls and get away with it. The fact that violence against women and girls isn’t taken seriously also gives these men the power to take advantage of these societal attitudes. Take this example where Red Hot Chili Peppers’ singer Anthony Kiedis admits statutory rape in his 2005 autobiography ‘Scar Tissue‘ (Far Out Magazine, 2021):

Kiedis’ excuse for this crime was knowing he would get away with it in his “deluded mind” – simple as. We call this patriarchy and misogyny. Nikki Sixx, who admitted raping a woman with bandmate Tommy Lee in his 2001 autobiography The Dirt, later suggested he made it up (Independent, 2019):

GETTING AWAY WITH IT

These quotes are what these men seem to think is them taking responsibility for their actions and apologising, and we have collectively let them get away with it. What’s even worse, we unapologetically continue to engage with their work, give them awards, laud them and induct them into our halls of fame rather than our halls of shame.

What is truly baffling about the admissions by these two and many other men is that lawmakers do not investigate their admissions of criminal acts and take action. Surely, had Sixx or Kiedis admitted to murdering someone and burying them in their backyard, a team of police would have turned up to investigate. There would have been an outcry from the media and they would have lost the support of much of their fanbase. But this is ‘just’ sexual abuse and rape of women and girls, so we can forget about it and continue heralding these men as legends and heroes. Why is that?

Let’s be clear, Guns N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mötley Crüe are not insignificant bands. They were both inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Not only was Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Not in This Lifetime…’ tour (2016–2019) one of the top 5 highest grossing tours of all time (Wikipedia, 2023), they have been touring non-stop since 2016 (with the exception of a forced COVID break of course). Mötley Crüe will tour the US and Canada in 2024, whilst Red Hot Chili Peppers continue their global stadium tour, which started in 2022 (Wikipedia, 2024a).

Despite the abuse and long-term pain these men have inflicted, they remain celebrated performers on tour across the globe in 2024, enjoying fame, celebrity, as well as the adoration and listening ears of millions of people, which is continuing to earn them big money.

One sign of the continued appeal of these bands is that in January this year, this year for example a 4th Red Hot Chili Peppers song and a 3rd Guns n’ Roses song passed 1 billion streams on Spotify (X, 2024).

The allegations against these men should not be forgotten by us, the public, or by festivals, venues and event promoters. We should boycott their music and concerts and contact event promoters, festivals and venues asking them not to book them.

Sources:

Banet-Weiser, S. (2021). ‘Ruined’ lives: Mediated white male victimhood. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 24(1), 60-80. Accessed online on 20 January 2025. Available at: https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/107927/1/Ruined.pdf.

BBC (2024). Sprints singer: ‘I should be able to perform without being groped’. Accessed online on 8 June 2024. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-68880529.

Bows, H. (2023). Women’s safety and experiences of misogyny and violence at UK music festivals. Transforming Society. 25 August 2023. Accessed online on 1 February 2024. Available at: https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2023/08/25/womens-safety-and-experiences-of-misogyny-and-violence-at-uk-music-festivals/.

Brean. E. (2023). Gina. Post #23 – The False Narrative of False Allegations. Accessed online 20 January 2025. Available at: https://www.gina.uk.com/post/post-23-the-false-narrative-of-false-allegations.

Crown Prosecution Service (2022). Domestic Abuse. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/domestic-abuse.

Cunningham, K. (2021). Far Out Magazine. Nelly’s Sexual-Assault Allegations Should Not Be Forgotten. Accessed online on 8 June 2024. Available at: https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-has-everyone-forgotten-about-nellys-sexual-assault-allegations.

Drenon, B. (2025). BBC. Marilyn Manson sexual assault investigation dropped by lawyers. Accessed online on 8 February 2025. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cge7q0z5nz0o.

Golsen, T (2021). Far Out Magazine. Inside the details of Anthony Kiedis’ troubling sexual assault history. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/anthony-kiedis-sexual-assault-history-details/.

Helmore, E. (2024). BBC. Judge denies Jay-Z’s efforts to dismiss case accusing him of raping girl, 13. Accessed online on 20 January 2024. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/dec/27/jay-z-rape-case.

House of Commons (2024). Women and Equalities Committee. Misogyny in Music. Second Report of Session 2023-2024. Accessed online on 1 February 2024. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/43084/documents/214478/default/.

Hopkins, A. (2023). Examining reasons for victim retraction in domestic violence and abuse: A qualitative analysis of police retraction statements in the United Kingdom. The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles (Early Access). Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://oro.open.ac.uk/87820/1/87820VOR.pdf.

Hymas, C. (2022). The Telegraph. One in three women at music festivals sexually assaulted or harassed. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/30/one-three-women-music-festivals-sexually-assaulted-harassed/.

Lynn, G. (2024). BBC. Ask for Angela: Staff had no clue, says pub worker. Accessed online on 20 January 2025. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8v4p2dj01o.

Lisi, C (1999). New York Post. Eric Clapton: I beat my wife. Accessed online on 10 June 2024. Available at: https://nypost.com/1999/06/27/eric-clapton-i-beat-my-wife/.

O’Connor, R. (2019). Independent. Nikki Sixx apologises for bizarre rape story in Motley Crue memoir: ‘It’s possibly greatly embellished or I made it up’. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/nikki-sixx-rape-motley-crue-book-the-dirt-sexual-assault-a8809526.html.

Rape Crisis (2023). Sources for statistics. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://rcew.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/documents/Stats_webpage_-_sources__further_info.pdf.

Reed, R (2017). Rolling Stone. Josh Homme: ‘Truly Sorry’ for Kicking Photographer Onstage. Accessed online on 10 June 2024. Available at: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/josh-homme-truly-sorry-for-kicking-photographer-onstage-204961/.

SARSAS (2022). SARSAS at Glastonbury festival. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://www.sarsas.org.uk/sarsas-at-glastonbury-festival/.

Sky News (2024). P Diddy faces sexual misconduct claims from 120 new accusers including 25 who were children at the time, lawyer says. Accessed online on 20 January 2025. Available online at: https://news.sky.com/story/p-diddy-faces-sexual-misconduct-claims-from-120-new-accusers-lawyer-says-13226172.

Swift, N. (2020). The Shady Side Of Axl Rose You Didn’t Know About. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://www.nickiswift.com/257042/the-shady-side-of-axl-rose-you-didnt-know-about/.

University of Cambridge (2012). Be an active bystander. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://www.breakingthesilence.cam.ac.uk/prevention-support/be-active-bystander.

Victim Support (2022). New research shows police failing to act on domestic abuse reports – ethnic minority victims worst affected. Accessed online on 31 May 2023. Available at: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/new-research-shows-police-failing-to-act-on-domestic-abuse-reports-ethnic-minority-victims-worst-affected/.

Wikipedia (2023). List of highest-grossing concert tours (Last updated 24 May 2023). Accessed online on 31 May 2023: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_concert_tours.

Wikipedia (2024a). Accessed online on 1 February 2024: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers_2022–2024_Global_Stadium_Tour.

Wikipedia (2024b). Alice Ormsby-Gore. Accessed online on 10 June 2024: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Ormsby-Gore.

X (2024) Loudwire. Accessed online on 1 February 2024: https://twitter.com/Loudwire/status/1747349305239740559.