The Partizan band, after the accusations against Artan: “We distance ourselves from any form of disrespectful behavior. The incident is isolated, but the responsibility belongs entirely to him”

The band Partizan reacted on Thursday, in a post on Facebook, after a mother accused the soloist Adrian Pleșca, known as Artan, of “harassing” her 18-year-old daughter and then going “to another young girl, whom he also kissed on the cheek, also without her consent.”

“We think it's time to express our point of view in relation to the nJoy incident, an incident in which our colleague, Artan, a constant member of the band for over 15 years, was involved,” Partizan band members said.

“In such situations, the first voice that must be listened to is always that of the affected people. Artan admitted responsibility for the consequences of what happened and publicly apologized in a video message. The most important thing now is how the affected people feel, what can be done to support them and how we can contribute to repairing the harm done”, they added.

The band says that, throughout the 15 years of collaboration, there has been no similar behavior from the lead singer. Partizan claims that the situation could be related to “possible health problems that appeared recently, which affected Artan's discernment”, but states that “this does not excuse his behavior and does not diminish the impact on those affected”.

“We firmly distance ourselves from any form of violence, discrimination or disrespectful behavior. At the same time, we believe that the situation created is related to possible health problems that have appeared recently, which affected Artan's discernment. However, this does not excuse his behavior and does not diminish the impact on those affected by the event”, they continued.

“We do not accept degrading or simplifying labels, but we also do not minimize the facts. In all our activity together, we have not encountered sexual or aggressive behavior with him, which makes this incident completely atypical and worrisome. But the responsibility for this gesture belongs entirely to him,” the band members said.

The band apologizes publicly “to the affected people and to the public” and declares itself “open to dialogue and any form of moral reparation possible”.

Artan, founder of the bands Timpuri Noi and Partizan, accused of kissing a teenage girl without consent, in a club in Bucharest

In a post on social networks, the mother of an 18-year-old girl accused Adrian Pleșca, known by the stage name Artan, of “harassing” her daughter at an event in a restaurant in Bucharest and then going “to another young girl, whom he also kissed on the cheek, also without her consent.”

The singer sent “some explanations about the unfortunate evening” on Facebook on Wednesday evening.

“I'm using this video to tell you that I'm very sorry. Sometimes, because of the diagnosis, because of the treatment I'm taking, sometimes more bizarre things happen to me, which only those who know me very well get over easily. Otherwise, in public, I'm sometimes misunderstood,” the artist declared in a video message.

He did not mention the “diagnosis” nor the “treatment” he was referring to.

“I am very sorry, I ask the injured parties to forgive me, and to know that I am struggling with my problem. From now on, my colleagues will no longer let me express my ideas alone and will be by my side,” concluded Artan.

Contacted by HotNews.ro, Artan had initially said that he kissed a “young and pretty girl”, reasoning “that I saw her more like this, more thoughtful”.

On Wednesday, the Capital Police announced that “it has officially reported the issues reported in the online environment, in order to establish the factual situation”. The institution specified that, until this moment, “no criminal complaint has been filed and there is no direct notification from the people involved”.

Also on Wednesday, the representatives of nJOY Garden & Club, the place where the incident took place, said that they learned about what happened on social networks and that they dissociate themselves “firmly from any manifestations of this kind and any form of unfairness”.

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