Several core members of the BEAST crew, an organization that hosts an annual Super Smash Bros. tournament, announced their departure today in the wake of sexual harassment allegations brought against BEAST head organizer Lolex.
In a statement posted on the r/smashbros subreddit, the group says they were shocked and upset to learn about Lolex’s behavior, and condemn his actions entirely.
The allegations were brought forward by a member of the BEAST crew, Anna “Annapower89” Fröderberg, in a statement on Twitlonger. In it, Fröderberg details multiple times that Lolex had made advances on her, manipulated people and on one occasion, propositioned an underage girl using alcohol and “strong medication.”
In the BEAST crew’s statement, the 12 signing players say they cannot continue to work under the current name, and none of them will continue to work with the organization or its events. Acknowledging the financial issues raised in Fröderberg’s statement, include a misuse of Smashcamp funds by Lolex, the crew promises a coming statement that will address the financial rumors.
In closing, the crew acknowledges the issues prevalent in the scene, and the role the community often plays in allowing them to persist:
From a broader perspective, this experience has been a harsh reminder of a less than flattering reality, which is that sexual assault and harassment does exist within our community. Dealing with these issues is a crucial part of moving our scene forward towards being more inclusive towards people of all gender, race, age and sexuality. Quite simply, we would like to be a part of the solution in moving this problem in the right direction. We therefore encourage victims of sexual abuse from within the community to reach out to the community for help.
We’ve reached out to the BEAST organization for further comment, and will update the piece if we receive a reply.
