Employees of the publishing house Hachette have staged a walkout in protest of the publication of Woody Allen’s memoir.

Hachette’s Grand Central is publishing the director’s memoir Apropos Of Nothing, on 7 April.

Another imprint of Hachette, Little, Brown and Company, last year published Woody’s son Ronan Farrow’s book Catch And Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, which details the challenges he faced in the reporting of the sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

And after both Ronan and his half-sister Dylan Farrow called out the publishing house for failing to fact-check, more than 75 employees from Hachette’s New York and Boston offices participated in a walkout on Thursday.

According to reports, many of those who walked out sent out an auto-reply email reading: ‘We stand in solidarity with Ronan Farrow, Dylan Farrow and survivors of sexual assault.’

Among those who walked out was Little, Brown executive editor Vanessa Mobley, was the editor of Catch And Kill.

The walkout at 3pm was timed with a town hall meeting scheduled by HBG CEO Michael Pietsch, where he had planned to answer questions about why Grand Central acquired Allen’s autiobiography.

Employees stood outside their offices for an hour before going home, according to Slate.

Pietsch said in a statement: ‘We respect and understand the perspective of our employees who have decided to express their concern over the publication of this book. We will engage our staff in a fuller discussion about this at the earliest opportunity.’

Dylan, 34, who alleges she was sexually assaulted by her adoptive father Allen as a child – allegations he denies -, tweeted: ‘Unbelievably overwhelmed and so incredibly grateful for the solidarity demonstrated by @HachetteUS and @littlebrown employees today. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.’

Ronan also tweeted numerous posts about the walkout, with many authors signed to Hachette divisions tweeting in solidarity with the protest, while his agent Lynn Nesbit told NPR: ‘I feel moved almost to tears by the walkout. It was such a brave gesture to management who, in my opinion, made such a misguided decision.’

Dylan had called the publication of Apropos Of Nothing ‘an utter betrayal’ of her journalist brother, who later wrote in a statement:

‘I was disappointed to learn through press reports that Hachette, my publisher, acquired Woody Allen’s memoir after other major publishers refused to do so and concealed the decision from me and its own employees while we were working on Catch and Kill – a book about how powerful men, including Woody Allen, avoid accountability for sexual abuse.

‘Hachette did not fact check the Woody Allen book. My sister Dylan has never been contacted to respond to any denial or mischaracterisation of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Woody Allen – a credible allegation, maintained for almost three decades, backed up by contemporaneous accounts and evidence.’

Farrow went on to sever tied with Hachette,

writing: ‘It’s wildly unprofessional in multiple obvious directions for Hachette to behave this way. But it also shows a lack of ethics and compassion for victims of sexual abuse, regardless of any personal connection or breach of trust here.

‘I’ve encouraged Hachette, out of respect for its readers, authors and reputation, to conduct a thorough fact check of Woody Allen’s account, in particular any claim that implies my sister is not telling the truth. I’ve also told Hachette that a publisher that would conduct itself in this way is one I can’t work with in good conscience.’

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