Let me tell you about Russell Brand, as someone who helped the journalists who eventually exposed him. In 2013/4, Brand started to become interested in progressive politics. He said progressive things publicly, went on Newsnight etc. At the time I was involved in progressive grassroots work myself. Brand started turning up at demonstrations (in a chauffer driven car, naturally) and asking to join meetings. In these arenas, a gender divide started to emerge: a lot of men were very excited about Brand's interest; women - like me - were more cautious about welcoming him in, given his history. This led to some blazing rows online and in real life. At the time, I wasn't aware that he was a sex offender, I was just concerned about his sexism. But even that led the most egregious misogynistic abuse from my peers. I was jealous, I just needed a good shag, I wasn't a real journalist (lol) etc I got shouted down by men I had organised alongside for years. Not because I was accusing Brand of any particular crime, but because I was pointing to things he had said and done that were on the public record as evidence that he might have dodgy attitudes towards women, and we should be careful. I wrote this piece. Look at how measured and generous it is towards Brand! Cue more abuse from people I thought were friends and peers. But then something else happened... theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com
Women (and a couple of men) started contacting me, telling they'd heard things about Brand. They told me stories in detail - sometimes naming victims. Some of these stories about Brand would be considered disgusting but legal behaviour, others were the most serious crimes. I tried to make the allegations public, but it was hard. Victims didn't want to come forward, amongst other barriers. Brand is highly litigious and once sued Suzanne Moore for criticising his prose style. I was advised that accusing publicly him without evidence could jeopardise a future trial. I spoke to several journalists over the years, helping as much as I could. But kept falling apart for the same reasons - his victims were afraid, and his lawyers were aggressive. Nevertheless I warned as many people as I could without opening myself up to legal challenges or risking future justice. In 2016, Brand was invited to speak at a progressive event. I used a trusted intermediary to get a message to the organisers to warn them of the allegations and ask them to consider not platforming him. They said I had no evidence and platformed him anyway. Over the years I became more outspoken out of frustration, more willing to tell people what I knew (without compromising identities). Even then I got shouted down, told it was all unsubstantiated rumours. Only when he started drifting into conspiracy did progressive men stop defending him. Then, a couple of years ago, the brilliant Rosamund Irwin messaged me. Like the brilliant Marge from Fargo, she was about to go on maternity leave. I remember her telling me "it's time." I told her everything I knew and gave her as many contact details as I could. It says something about Brand and how hard it is to convict these kinds of men that not a single allegation I shared made it into the documentary or the court case. But after waiting a decade I can finally say publicly: Russell Brand is a rapist. I wish the survivors peace and happiness. Thank you to @davidwearing.bsky.social @trillingual.bsky.social and @okwonga.bsky.social for sticking their necks out and defending me when I was raising concerns about Brand. They just listened and believed me, and they got a lot of flack for it. Not all men! But too many men. Too many.