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You want a “fair” reaction. But your brain? It mostly wants to protect your attachment. The result: the worst reflexes start popping up (and they do real damage).
- “We know you want us to talk about Steergate…”
We know. And if we’re not doing it publicly, it’s not out of comfort or cowardice. It’s because of serious legal reasons, and because a misplaced word can jeopardize a procedure or put people at risk.
That said, no worries — it’s in competent hands. That’s what actually matters.
And while we’re at it: don’t blindly thank industry pros when a situation gets buried for years and only resurfaces once it becomes impossible to hide. In this scene, omertà has often been profitable. Not always. But often.
- First rule: don’t comment “I know him, he’d never do that”
We all know the automatic comments:
“I know him, he would never do that.”
“His music is too good, I don’t believe it.”
“She just wants fame.”
“I worked with him, he was the nicest guy.”
Stop.
First: the artist doesn’t care. He probably won’t even see your comment.
Second: yes, an abuser can be charming, talented, “professional,” even adorable in public. That’s… a very classic social strategy.
If you feel the need to send a love-and-support letter to your favorite artist, go to their DMs and write your novel there. They may never read it, but at least you’re not contributing to the public crushing of a potential victim.
- “False accusations,” “dismissals,” “convictions”: the numbers
Three recurring ideas deserve actual facts:
False accusations are rare.
Available research (UK / Europe / United States) consistently finds low and stable rates, often around 2 to 6% depending on definitions and methods. A synthesis citing Home Office–referenced studies mentions roughly 4% of police-reported cases classified as false or suspected false.
Crucial point: “acquittal” or “case dismissed” ≠ “false accusation.” A judicial outcome unfavorable to the prosecution does not prove the complaint was fabricated.
Dismissal does not mean lying.
The criminal justice system filters heavily: lack of material evidence, old cases, word against word, incomplete investigations, limited resources… Many cases die without the factual truth ever being fully established.
Reporting rates are very low.
In France, institutional publications indicate that on average only about 6% of victims of sexual violence file a complaint.
So statistically, the massive problem isn’t false accusations — it’s underreporting.
- Supporting (alleged) victims: yes, but in a useful way
Yes:
Share published testimonies (carefully and respectfully),
Send support,
Amplify resources.
No:
Ask for details,
Ask for “proof,”
Demand a “perfect” narrative,
Play detective in your stories.
Victims don’t owe you anything. They may owe elements to their lawyer, to the justice system, to the police, and (within a legal framework) to the accused. Not to you. Not to Instagram. Not to TikTok.
And above all, stop telling the story in place of the victim. That can seriously interfere with a legal process. Even without a procedure, it can expose the person.
We’ve all seen those absurd chains of “I know someone who knows the victim.” And when you check? Almost none have any real connection (we tested this a year ago). That noise wastes victims’ time, lawyers’ time, investigative journalists’ time. It’s not your story.
- The most important thing: real life comes before Instagram
Before visible support, there’s real support:
Create groups to accompany victims to the police station or to a lawyer,
Be a listening ear,
Get trained,
Learn what to say (and what to avoid).
Trainings and replays exist, for example through #NousToutes.
And yes: increasing the number of official complaints also helps make the real scale of the problem visible.
- For those who doubt victims: a reality test
A very simple, very blunt exercise:
Talk to the women around you — mother, grandmother, sister, friends, colleagues, cousins. Ask them if they have ever been victims, “at any level,” of sexual or gender-based violence. Listen.
It reconnects you with the actual frequency of these violences, massively confirmed by victimization surveys and public data. And we all know: the closer it is, the more it hits.
- Follow and amplify spaces for speaking out
One last very concrete (and very “scene”) point: follow the page metoodjs and share the stories when relevant. The goal is simple — so that potential victims of DJs or industry professionals are no longer afraid to speak out.
Let’s do this together.