Russell Brand condemns moment of silence for Tunisia attack victims as a 'minute of bulls**t'
The comedian has criticised the British Government's foreign policy
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Your support makes all the difference.Russell Brand has condemned the minute's silence being held to commemorate the victims of the Tunisia massacre as a “minute of bulls**t” and accused the British Government of perpetuating global issues by bombing other countries.
David Cameron asked for a national minute of silence to remember the 38 people killed during an attack on a hotel in Tunisia. At least 29 of the victims were Britons, making it the worst terror attack on British people since the 7/7 bombings.
Brand responded to his request with a series of controversial statements dismissing the minute of silence as part of a "general policy of bulls**t" which the comedian and political activist claimed was so the Government "can continue selling arms around the world and perpetuating a cycle where its own needs are met at the expense of its own citizens".
Brand claimed many countries had been identified as a threat by David Cameron, yet were still able to buy arms from the UK.
"There's an attempt to connect every single atrocity and act of terrorism in the last 10 years [...] while negating the fact that in the same 10 year period, Britain has been engaged in foreign activity in Muslim countries which obviously provokes this kind of response, while continuing to sell arms to countries on its own human rights abusers list."
Brand was highly critical of Britain's activities abroad, listing bombing strikes and drone attacks on a number of countries as aspects of Britain's foreign policy "perpetuating" conflicts.
“You can bet your life that the response to this terrible event in Tunisia will be the kind of activities that provoked and created this event in Tunisia. The solution is the cause."
Unsurprisingly, his comments proved highly devisive.
Brand also called for people to stand in solidarity with the Muslim hotel workers who defended British citizens and stressed that the religion of anyone involved or affected by the attack was often highly publicised but ultimately irrelevant.
“The doctors that treated the people are also Muslim," he went on. "The people that drive the ambulances are also Muslim. The people defending, bare-handed, the lives of hotel guests from the West are also Muslim."
He concluded that challenging the Government would have more of an impact than a minute's silence.
"There's no point in having a minute's silence on Friday - it's a minute of bullsh*t.”
"If you respect those people then demand that your Government stops selling arms to countries on its own human rights abuse list, demand that your government stops carrying out foreign wars on behalf of corporations.
"As long as during that time, they [the Government] continue to sell arms, they continue to bomb foreign countries - they have no interest in a solution. They are only interest is perpetuating the problem and continuing to profit from it."
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