World Politics3 min(s) read
Social media users call resurfaced Russell Brand video 'incredibly bleak' after he was sentenced to 10 years in jail
A video of Russell Brand has resurfaced just days after he was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison for sexual assault and rape, leaving social media users saying the same thing.
Brand was handed a lengthy jail term on Monday after he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and one count of rape, despite initially denying the allegations.
Brand's comments about sexual assault and rape convictions
Since the news hit headlines that he had been found guilty, clips of the now-disgraced comedian and actor have re-emerged across social media.
In this particular clip, Brand addresses his viewers, stating: “Rape is always wrong, it is the most abhorrent of crimes.”
While he is referencing the abuse of power by those involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex abuse, his words are particularly poignant given what we now know.
Brand then discusses his view on the punishments for those who are found guilty of rape.
He adds: “People who are guilty of rape should be arrested, charged, and jailed for a long, long time. And if these political figures are guilty of it, they should face justice, but how will they face justice in a system they seem to control?
“A system that seems to be set up primarily, entirely in fact, to protect them, to ensure that they are allowed to rampage around the world collecting loosh, and having pizzas, and drinking grape juice, while you, me, and everyone else toil in near obscurity and ignorance.
“There are actual victims, behind all of this extraordinary fuge that seems to mask the actions of the powerful, there are exploited children who have been raped.”
Social media responds emphatically
Unsurprisingly, social media took exception to this proclamation, as both self-righteous and ironic following Brand’s subsequent sexual abuse charges, including several new allegations against him.
One X user claimed: “This is just so incredibly bleak.”
While another added: “That's strange it sounds like you're speaking about yourself."
Despite the abundance of evidence against him, as well as being found guilty, many of the comments were alarmingly sympathetic towards the rapist, with many far-right conspiracist accounts claiming that he had been a victim of the ‘left-wing establishment’ after he allegedly spoke out against them.
However, that did not deter other users from further condemnation of Brand: “Even Russell himself thinks convicted rapists should go to prison for a very long time. Incredibly embarrassing for anyone defending him.”
Now, Brand will likely remain in prison until at least 2032, and with further investigations going on into claims of more sexual abuse, his jail term could well be lengthened.