Russell Brand has broken his silence on the claims of sexual assault and rape levelled against him, thanking his fans for "questioning" the allegations.
In a three-minute video clip posted online he said that the past week had been "extraordinary and distressing".
Last weekend allegations were published from four women who accused him of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse over a seven-year period.
Since then more women have come forward with claims of their own and the comedian's former employers at the BBC and Channel 4 have launched internal investigations into his conduct while he worked there.
Russell Brand accused the Government of trying to silence him
Separately, YouTube has banned Brand from being able to monetise his videos on its platform, with the culture, media and sport select committee chairwoman writing to other social media platforms to demand they do the same.
In his first online video since the allegations, Brand said last night: "I thank you very much for your support and for questioning the information that you’ve been presented with."
Addressing his followers as “awakening wonders”, he continued: “By now you’re probably aware that the British Government have asked big tech platforms to censor our online content and that some online platforms have complied with that request.
“What you may not know is that this happens in the context of the Online Safety Bill, which is a piece of UK legislation that grants sweeping surveillance and censorship powers, and it’s a law that has already been passed.”
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YouTube suspended monetisation from Brand's channel on the platform earlier this weekPAThe Online Safety Bill, which has cleared Parliament and is now awaiting royal assent, is a controversial piece of legislation aimed to protect children and adults online. The Bill aims to make social media companies more responsible for what appears on their platforms.
Brand did not address the allegations specifically but has previously said that his relationships have been "always consensual" despite his "promiscuous" past.
Instead, the media personality used the video to vow he would not be censored and that he would return to hosting his regular show online next week.
He said the show would be published on the social media site Rumble, which has refused to follow YouTube in blocking the comedian from earning advertising revenue on its site.
The platform openly criticised culture, media and sport select committee chairwoman Caroline Dinneage for demanding they switch off monetisation.
Praising Rumble's "clear commitment to free speech", Brand hit out at mainstream media organisations.
"It’s clear that these organisations collaborate in constructing narratives, whether it’s about the war or the pandemic, and of course there are other examples," he said.
"It is very clear to me that we have to be very, very cautious indeed."
The Met Police is currently investigating after recieving an allegation of sexual assault in Soho in 2003.
