Russel Brand Accused of Rape & Assault…But He’s Still Receiving Support

Photo: Alex Huckle/Getty

TW: This article features conversation surrounding sexual assault, abuse and rape.

Four women say that Brand sexually assaulted them in interactions that took place between 2006 and 2013. The ages of the individuals involved in the interviews as part of the report range from a woman who said she had an initially consensual relationship with Russel Brand at age 16, to middle aged employees and colleagues who shared alleged workplace misconduct and coercive acts.

In response to the allegations, Brand released a video on X (previously twitter) that was a seeming response to the investigations launched by U.K. news organisations; The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches. In Brand’s video, he claims that “the relationships that I had were absolutely always consensual”, “…I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent. And I’m being transparent about it now…what I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations.”

The Times reported that the news outlets “gave Brand eight days within which to reply to detailed allegations, including information to enable him to recall the alleged incidents,” but so far, the video is the only comment Brand has made regarding the allegations.

After being publicly accused of rape and sexual assault, many companies and charities affiliated with Brand have decided to part ways. The UK charity Trevi Women, which Brand supported through his own Stay Free Foundation, announced they were cutting ties in light on the allegations. Speaking out on social media, the charity wrote “But our priority remains and continues to be the safety and well-being of all women and girls now and in the future.”

After the release of his video, X owner Elon Musk responded to the video saying, “Of course. They don’t like competition.” Brand also received support from the likes of Tucker Carlson, former Fox News host, and Tristan Tate, brother of controversial influencer Andrew Tate, who said he “did not believe one word of it.” Andrew Tate re-shared a post on X, which claimed Brand was receiving the “Andrew Tate treatment.”

Innocent Until Proven Guilty…Apparently

Since the release of the report and a recent documentary aired in the UK, there has been a staggering amount of support for Brand, claiming that he is “innocent until proven guilty”. Russel Brand, Andrew Tate, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, R.Kelly, Matt Lauer, Chris Noth, Danny Masterson, Prince Andrew, Conor McGregor…the list goes on. What this narrative shows us is that men, especially successful, famous and rich, will always be defended and every time the words “innocent until proven guilty” are spouted, the victims who’ve been brave enough to come forward, are being silenced and discredited.

When women speak out against men, especially men in the public eye, they are often accused of being liars and just in search of money and fame. When in reality, many victims face an agonising decision on whether or not to come forward and disclose what happened in fear of not being believed.

The Facts

Sex without consent is rape. It’s as simple as that…or, at least it should be. Reported on Amnesty.org, the figures from a European Union-wide survey show that:

• 1 in 20 women aged 15 and over in the EU have been raped. That is around 9 million women. 
• 1 in 10 women aged 15 and over in the EU have experienced some form of sexual violence. 

Statistics have shown that in England and Wales alone, 98% of adults prosecuted for sexual offences are men. Less than 2 in 100 rapes recorded by police in England and Wales in 2022 resulted in a charge that same year, so forget a conviction! In an analysis by Amnesty International, only 16 out of 31 European countries now have laws that define rape based on the absence of consent. They are; Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Introducing consent based laws will not stop rapes from happening, but it is an enormous step in changing attitudes and achieving justice for survivors. Our behaviour and attitude is guided by the laws that are in place, sex without consent is rape – it can’t get much clearer than that!

Surveys in 2014 and 2015, reported on Amnesty.org, revealed that in the EU: 

• More than 1 in 4 people believe that sexual intercourse without consent may be justified in certain circumstances, such as if the victim is drunk or under the influence of drugs, is voluntarily going home with someone, wearing revealing clothes, not saying “no” clearly or fighting back
• More than 1 in 5 people in the EU believe that women often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse or rape

Women’s Safety Shouldn’t Be a Discussion

We live in a world that doesn’t want to believe victims. We live in a world that continues to turn a blind eye to violence against women and misogyny. We live in a world which makes us think we should somehow believe the perpetrator, especially if they’re men, and somehow feel sorry for them until legal action is taken. 

It’s 2023, how is this still our world?

As more women come forward and bravely disclose their stories, we will eventually start seeing an increase in change that protects the victims and protects the simple human rights of women – to feel safe and not have to live in fear of being raped, abused or assaulted on a daily basis just because we’re women.