Slam Dunk have announced that one of their festival directors will remove themselves from operations following allegations made online.
In a statement published on social media on Friday (April 24), Slam Dunk – who did not get into specifics on what allegations had emerged against whom – said: “We are aware of allegations published yesterday relating to one of our directors. We take these allegations seriously and understand that they may be distressing and hard to process for our community.
“Our Slam Dunk fans, staff, and artists are, as always, our top priority. While he strongly refutes these allegations, the director in question has agreed, in consultation with the board, to step down from Slam Dunk operations while this matter is ongoing.”
They continued to say that the festival remained committed to maintaining a “safe, respectful, and inclusive environment” for employees, partners, and festival-goers. They added that it would currently be “inappropriate” for them to comment on what is “an ongoing legal matter”.
“However,” they said, “we promise transparency and honesty to our Slam Dunk community and will provide updates when it is appropriate to do so”.
As yet, no further information has been made public by Slam Dunk pertaining to the matter.
The statement comes after a woman posted allegations on Instagram and other social platforms, which were accompanied by a screenshot of an alleged conversation between her and the man accused.
The woman in question has since taken to Instagram to say the police advised her to take down the post, and wrote that she didn’t want to but was “following their instructions”.
Slam Dunk is set to mark its 20th anniversary at Hatfield Park in Hertfordshire, Saturday May 23, and Temple Newsam in Leeds on Sunday May 24.
The first artists on the line-up were confirmed last year, with Good Charlotte set to headline as a European exclusive performance, Sublime, Knocked Loose, Boston Manor, and State Champs set to play.
Others in the initial announcement included President (who are believed to be fronted by Busted’s Charlie Simpson), Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, Cancer Bats, Motion City Soundtrack, Hawthorne Heights, Driveways and Tonight Alive.
Fans of the festival have speculated that some bands may pull out following the allegations, although at the time of writing, none have.