Dispatches channel 4 expose **Read Opening Post before posting**

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121171#Comment_121121171

The defence of rapists and sexual abusers is an integral part of the right wing conspiracy worldview. If you can defend rapists and sexual abusers, if you can simply dismiss any credible allegation as "CONSPIRACY", there then becomes literally nothing indefensible you can't defend, the road to a universe of total fantasy is wide open. It's like a test, a thought experiment.

The mindset that dismisses these allegations without even bothering to hear what they are is the same mindset that enabled the Holocaust.

There is no bottom with right wing conspiracism, only a road to total madness.

We are seeing this play out continually. People are almost afraid to face up to it because it's so scary.

All these headbangers, these fake patriots who shout "paedophile" at anybody they don't like, they are the people who dismiss any credible allegations of rape or sexual abuse against their heroes as "CONSPIRACY". They are very dangerous people.

Ash.J.Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120291#Comment_121120291

That quip seemed to rattle brand like it would a narcissist

ancapailldorcha

Conservative media really has no principles:

https://twitter.com/t0nyyates/status/1703329510433714326

anewme

What you also need to remember about last nights program is that these are the allegations that could be shown, ie the content would have been thrashed out by many sets of lawyers, including RB’s, Sunday Times , Endemol and C4”s.

you can bet there’s been a lot of content redacted. They would have only went with what they could stand over in Court, you can bet there is a lot more content there.

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121202#Comment_121121202

Didn't know George Hook was a poster here. Gross.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121202#Comment_121121202

No woman holds personal responsibility for being raped...

anewme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121202#Comment_121121202

The conversation with Jimmy Saville is the best example of hiding in plain sight.

You can be a creep without being a sexual harasser or rapist.

The News reader who was belittled on air, how is she in any way responsible for him being allowed to do that.

Are you insinuating women who are sexually harassed in the workplace have personal responsibility?

or just the ones who were raped?

Fantomas9mm

Is Russell still mates with Matt Morgan ?

Matt always seemed somewhat normal and grounded .

i know they fell out a few times , not sure why exactly?

ceadaoin.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121202#Comment_121121202

if everyone knew that brand was a "sex creep" then wtf, the industry needs to be held accountable. A woman doesn't hold personal responsibility for being raped btw. That's all on the person who raped her

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121159#Comment_121121159

If his good name has been defamed with false accusations in the documentary and Times articles then he has recourse to the courts.

He is being punished with the damage to his reputation.

At the moment the multiple accusations against him credibly point to him as a rapist and sex attacker.

eightieschewbaccy

The descriptions of the gig are odd to say least. Some of them must have read the article before the show but discounted the lot.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66835222?at_link_type=web_link&at_medium=social&at_link_id=A209D5D0-552C-11EE-A3F5-F1A578A687CD&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_campaign_type=owned&at_link_origin=BBCNews&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_format=link

jj880

Jesus Facebook is awash with his youtube conspiracy theory fans defending him. "We love you Russell", "Mainstream media trying to cancel Russell", "Why havent they released the Epstein list yet? This is proof he's being targeted".

If these allegations are all as false as Brand is saying with the witnesses he says can disprove them we'll see him launching legal action soon. I wont hold my breath on that one though.

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121305#Comment_121121305

That’s the thing about releasing such a documentary- it’s not a court of law that takes over it’s the court of public opinion which of course is comprised of rational thinking individuals who can process such information and come to their own conclusions or views on the matter but it also includes the Twitterati, nut jobs, conspiracy theorists and other loons.

That’s the price for going the media route rather than the legal route

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121305#Comment_121121305

There's no need to wonder why Johnny Depp was able to win a jury trial for defamation against Amber Heard in the US merely because Heard referred to herself as a victim of abuse, after a UK court had already ruled that a report that carried allegations he was a wife beater was substantially true.

That US verdict was an utter disgrace.

Like far right right conspiracism, celebrity worship is a mass cult and it threatens to undermine the pillars on which democracy and liberal society depends.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121327#Comment_121121327

Based on the documentary there was a general fear over pursuing criminal charges which is pretty common in general, worse when the person is high profile.

Also worth noting that both Savile and Weinstein were caught because of the media route. The fact that law enforcement historically failed with such celebrities wouldn't fill a person with confidence of going the legal route. When both those cases started getting reported, multiple other victims also came forward.

So I can absolutely understand why victims are generally apprehensive of pursuing criminal charges. Plus the more well known the celeb is, the more the victims get smeared.

Akrasia

Russel Brand has always been a c*nt. Not in the tiniest bit surprised that he's also a sexual predator who has multiple rape and sexual assault allegations.

When you treat people like objects but aim to stay within a few inches of the right side of the law then it's almost certain that you've strayed over that line more than once and just got away with it.

Using others and throwing them away when you've had your fun is the mark of the c*nt and if you think that's OK, then you're of that ilk yourself.

Politically he's a self serving narcissist who appeals to people on a superficial level but is as deep as a Chinese fortune cookie.

If you are, or used to be, a Russel Brand supporter then you really should look hard and closely at your own world view and ask yourself some probing questions.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121333#Comment_121121333

Lefties are just as capable of celebrity worship as people on the right are.

Do you not remember that Russell Brand was a hero of the left a decade ago when he pretended to be a socialist and was speaking out on housing issues and appearing in support of housing demonstrators

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmlZWYvXMUo

Fact is he's always seemed to be a bit of a creep but he was seen as a lovable rogue by a large part of the media left and right and by women aswell (remember he was seen as a sex symbol for much of his public life) .Problem is people all across the media will now have collective amnesia about their fondness for Russell Brand and pretend that it was the other side who were enabling him to be a creep when it was everyone in the media regardless of gender or political persuasion who indirectly enabled him.

anewme

This hasn’t aged welll either.

https://amp.theguardian.com/media/2008/oct/27/russell-brand-jonathan-ross-andrew-sachs-calls

I bet Johnathan Ross is lying low as well, as this will resurface.

The bit about brand saying …it was consensual is a bit strange, maybe with hindsight.

The Dispatches team itself must be well lawyered up and have some clout. You can well imagine that this coverage does not show C4 in a good light given that some iof the allegations directly relate to the conduct on some of their programs.

C4 were big into promoting the toxic lad culture at the time with the likes of The Word, Big Brother, etc so could be said they enabled RB.

Faugheen

He openly said everything on tv, radio and even wrote about it.

Yet he kept being pushed to the moon. Kept getting better and more well-paid jobs and even some C4 execs wanted him back despite warnings about his behaviour.

Anyone out there wondering why those women never went to police, how could they when his behaviour was being enabled by so many people above them?

The conversation with Jimmy Saville tells you everything. And this was after he was warned about the complaint from newsreader. But no, allow me to suggest throwing my producer to the wolves instead.

The headline in today’s Sunday Times is inviting him to sue them. However, he won’t do so and there is a reason why he won’t.

Boggles

Did Channel 4 offer Brand an interview and put the allegations to him?

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121404#Comment_121121404

They put the allegations to him and asked for comment. He outed himself the night before on X saying that it was the establishment out to get him.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121381#Comment_121121381

The right fawning over misogynists and rapists is par for the course. How many leftists are doing the same for Brand? Very few as far as I can see.

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121414#Comment_121121414

Well no.

That's a favoured tactic of the tabloids, email a whole bunch of accusations hours before publication or broadcast.

My question was did Channel 4 offer him a chance to be part of the documentary as some people have called it?

Snooker Loopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121381#Comment_121121381

I don't see many on the left defending Russell Brand bar the most mindless and embittered idiots, the sort of mindless idiots who support Russia because Ukraine is a US ally and therefore in their pea brains Russia is somehow "anti-imperialist". But I don't necessarily disagree that there is a section which claims to be on the left which wilfully deludes itself about being on the side of victims when in reality it has a massive blind spot towards mob behaviour, as we see with the widespread defences of the Up The Ra chant, and the attempt to airbrush from history the protection of rapists and paedophiles within the PIRA.

The difference is that on the left this denial is mainly driven by dimwits who haven't yet grown up or developed the brainpower to understand the fundamental stupidity of their nonsensical positions, whereas this denial and this mocking is an absolutely systematic, defining characteristic within the far right, which much or maybe even most of the right wing internationally has become. It's almost quasi-sexual in its nature. Jason Stanley who is a scholar of fascism has pointed out how sexual anxiety is a pillar of fascism. "They're rapists", "they're paedophiles" are common cries of fascists. There's a quasi-sexual adulation towards figures like Trump, Putin, Musk, Rogan, Carlson and Brand on the right. I would argue that that sexual anxiety which drives fascism also extends to a fear of not being able to rape with impunity.

Therefore the exposing of Brand is a major threat which they must fanatically fight to try and discredit with any sort of intelligence insulting buffoonery or whataboutery they can muster.

anewme

Interesting article about his career here:

A lot of big names supported him…over the years.

Danni Minogue called him a vile predator in 2006 after he interviewed her. If he was that pushy with winen who might not be afraid, you can only imagine how he was with junior staff with no clout.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/russell-brand-allegations-career-comedian-bbc-channel-4-b2412998.html

Boggles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121391#Comment_121121391

The Dispatches team itself must be well lawyered up and have some clout.

They really don't need to be. They can declare journalist privilege for their sources.

This very thing was tested in Court when Ryanair sued them.

Brands only real recourse now is a criminal trial and AFAIK the police have said no one has made a complaint.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121427#Comment_121121427

He's perfectly free to sue them now if it's nonsense... However there's a tonne of contemporary evidence.

Raysin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120926#Comment_121120926

Nah, Amy Winehouse was ridiculed, made fun of as she staggered around emaciated, and hounded while both soboer and intoxicated to provoke a response. Anyone could see she was seriously ill, and it was self destructive. Similar tactics to the hounding of Britney Spears in the 00's, while she was also seriously ill.

I'd say it was similar to Pete Doherty, but not nearly as intense or loaded with judgement about his sex life or body. Brand was definitely glorified in the manner of all visible proponents of lad culture at the time. Mainly because he didn't look as messy so it was harder to just pick on his appearance. The main thing the tabloids like to do is kick people when they're down.

anewme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121466#Comment_121121466

They were blocked before from publishing this by Brands lawyers.

Also they would have had internal hassle with. c4 and Endemol as they are bringing trouble to their own front door so to speak.

Faugheen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121427#Comment_121121427

See I would answer you in good faith but it’s clear you haven’t watched the documentary.