5 Seconds of Summer on Friday finally addressed a woman’s allegation of sexual assault against one of its members – an allegation she later retracted.
“We are posting this against the advice of our team,” read a tweet.
The band’s Twitter account had been idle since the accusation against guitarist Michael Clifford appeared on Twitter on June 14. The musician was quick to deny the claims via his personal account, calling them “just BEYOND untrue” and “so completely false.”
The following day, the woman said it was not Clifford who groped her at a concert in 2013. "Today, I found out that I’ve been wrong for almost seven years,” she tweeted. “Today I found out that my offender is dead. My offender IS NOT MICHAEL CLIFFORD. HE NEVER TOUCHED ME, HE NEVER SAID THOSE THINGS TO ME. He’s innocent.”
MORE: Woman Retracts Sex Assault Claim Against 5SOS Guitarist Michael Clifford
The first tweet on the official 5 Seconds of Summer account came earlier Friday and was about rescheduled dates for the band’s tour. This, evidently, didn’t sit well with members of the group.
“We, as a band, didn't feel it was the right time for a tour announcement,” read the tweet. “We felt it was much more important to address false accusations first, but we were told not to comment. We are done being silent.
“We stand with all victims of [sexual assault]. Just because it wasn't us doesn't mean it didn't happen.”
5SOS promised to work “even harder to ensure fans are safe at our shows,” adding: “Our connection with our fans is more important to us than anything in this world.”
The band's comments came a day after Justin Bieber filed a defamation suit against two women who accused him of sexual assault.