See the statement.
The band Venom Prison, who were scheduled to open for Decapitated in the UK in November, released a statement today cancelling the tour. The reason is the gang rape accusation that Decapitated recently received.
The four members of Decapitated are responding to accusations from a woman who claims she boarded the band's tour bus of her own free will but was restrained against her will and raped by the four musicians.
Read below the statement from Venom Prison, made on their official Facebook page:
"It is with great disappointment that Venom Prison has chosen to cancel the scheduled dates with Decapitated in the United Kingdom. As you may know, the members of Decapitated were arrested on Saturday, September 9th, in Santa Ana, California."
It's no secret that Venom Prison is against rape and sexual abuse. The band continues to defend women's rights and draw attention to various problems that continue to plague the extreme music scene.
Venom Prison would like to emphasize that everyone has the right to a fair trial – through legal channels, not just on social media – and the members of Decapitated remain respected musicians until proven otherwise. We would also like to remind you that the burden of proof in any criminal matter, at least in the UK, is beyond any doubt that 99% of what has been alleged actually happened. Based on this, until any individual is convicted, we are not in a position to comment on the allegations presented.
We should also mention that we don't believe these things 'just happen,' so regardless of the extent of the claim, situations like the one Decapitated finds himself in inevitably involve some degree of inappropriate behavior.
As we said, we don't seek to hide our opinion of what is a problem that has become increasingly visible, and the unfortunate situation that continues to spread. Based on this, we apologize to those who have already purchased tickets specifically to see Venom Prison, and while we ask that you reserve the trials for yourselves, Venom Prison will not be playing on the scheduled dates.
Furthermore, we have chosen to donate £200 to Rape Crisis England & Wales. We hope you will continue to spread awareness of rape and sexual abuse issues in music and everywhere else. We need to keep speaking out, and as long as Venom Prison is a band, we will continue to resist censorship and speak out. Thank you for your support.”
