Russell Brand joined thousands of other Britons Sunday as they took to the streets to protest the British government’s
austerity measures and benefit cuts. The marchers, estimated to number around 50,000, gathered in front of the British House of Parliament, where several speakers addressed the crowd, including Russell Brand, reports
The Huffington PostOnce it was Russell Brand’s turn at the microphone, the
Despicable Me 2 star called upon the sea of protesters to join him in a “peaceful, effortless, joyful revolution” to take back power from the coalition government.
“The people of this building (the House of Commons) generally speaking do not represent us,” said Russell Brand. “They represent their friends in big business. It’s time for us to take back our power… This will be a peaceful, effortless, joyful revolution and I’m very grateful to be involved in the People’s Assembly.”
The march, and Russell Brand’s speech, marked the one year anniversary of the
People’s Assembly as an organization, and he reiterated the message he made earlier this year in
New Statesman magazine in an article titled, “We no longer have the luxury of tradition”, that Britons need to push the current political system aside and that the Members of Parliament no longer represent the people. In the article, Russell Brand also asks for “total revolution”, and that young people don’t vote, writing, “I will never vote and I don’t think you should, either.”
Russell Brand was also rallying support for other issues over the weekend, tweeting on Saturday:
But during his speech on Sunday, being the flamboyant personality and actor he is, Russell Brand incorporated some theater into his speech — and an opportunity to show off his lean physique — when he tore off his t-shirt before putting on a different one that read: “Firefighters rescue people not bankers”.
The march originated in Portland Place at the BBC campus, the protesters calling out Britain’s patriarch of broadcasting for giving no attention to the issues faced by the British poor.
Along side Russell Brand were several other speakers, including journalist, Owen Jones and comedian, Mark Steel.
With a reported net worth of $15 million dollars, Brand was compelled to humanize himself and address the disparity between his own wealth and those on whose behalf the march was being held, saying, “I obviously face accusations of being part of the 1 percent (of rich Britons) myself but I wasn’t designed in a laboratory with Jimmy Carr and Adele, I’m from Grays in Essex.”
“The revolution that’s required isn’t a revolution of radical ideas,” concluded Brand. “But the implementation of ideas we already have.”
Benjamin Ekpenyong
