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Noel Clarke sexual harassment allegations, suspended by BAFTA

878 replies

Cwenthryth · 29/04/2021 20:41

www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/apr/29/actor-noel-clarke-accused-of-groping-harassment-and-bullying-by-20-women

🤬🤬🤬

Especially galling that BAFTA was seemingly made aware of this before giving him his very recent honour. I watched his acceptance speech and found it really moving in terms of celebrating a working class black man’s success in a historically white industry. Turns out he’s an (alleged) sexual abuser. Fucking great.

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EnidSpyton · 01/05/2021 00:26

What I'd like to see, rather than virtue signalling on twitter, is people in the entertainment industry actually owning that they enable such behaviour and that they are all individually responsible for the safety of their female colleagues.

Film and TV sets are busy places. None of the behaviours Noel Clarke has been accused of - and that many other men in the industry indulge in - happens behind closed doors. From the shouting and humiliation, to the inappropriate touching, comments and demands during shooting, plenty of people would have been there to witness it. If you see something and don't say something, you're part of the problem.

I know it's difficult if you're in a junior position and you feel you need the support of powerful players to help you on your way in your career. But are people in the entertainment industry so morally bankrupt that they will happily stand by while a colleague is being shouted at and harassed in front of them? It seems many are. It defeats me why anyone would want to work in such an industry, where so many people will sell their souls and swallow their morals for a few minutes of screen time.

If they really want change, it has to start with each individual recognising that they have a role to play in changing the culture. Rather than standing by people on twitter, how about you stand by them when they're literally standing next to you in your workplace? Deeds not words!

avamiah · 01/05/2021 00:29

WTF, I just can’t believe what I have read in the news and seen on TV, I have been lost for words to be honest .
It says 20 woman ?, I mean where did they all come from and why now ?
I’m no expert but he has to be arrested as these allegations are of a very serious nature and in my opinion he needs legal representation as the law states we are innocent until proven Guilty .

myrtleWilson · 01/05/2021 00:32

@avamiah - read Janice's post above yours - it explains very well the difference between presumption of innocence under judicial proceedings and the ability of the press to report allegations

StillFemale · 01/05/2021 00:41

@avamiah the why now is because of the bafta award he just received for ‘outstanding contribution to British cinema’ that he dedicated to ‘the underrepresented’ when bafta were told about his behaviour but went ahead and honoured him anyway

avamiah · 01/05/2021 00:51

myrtleWilson,
Yes I did read Janice’s post but in my opinion the allegations will be really hard to come back from.
As a example , look at Michael Barrymore he was a hugely successful prime time TV star then a young man lost his life on his property, in his pool at a party and even though he was not there at the time, he has been always associated with what happened on that terrible night .
May I just say that I do not wish to offend anybody by bringing this back.

avamiah · 01/05/2021 00:56

StillFemale,
Yes I read that ,
But my question is “ where did the 20 woman come from” ?

Sn0tnose · 01/05/2021 01:01

But my question is “ where did the 20 woman come from”?

Have a look at the article and it will tell you exactly where, but they’re women he’s come into contact with during his career.

GrimDamnFanjo · 01/05/2021 01:08

@avamiah

myrtleWilson, Yes I did read Janice’s post but in my opinion the allegations will be really hard to come back from. As a example , look at Michael Barrymore he was a hugely successful prime time TV star then a young man lost his life on his property, in his pool at a party and even though he was not there at the time, he has been always associated with what happened on that terrible night . May I just say that I do not wish to offend anybody by bringing this back.
But Barrymore was there. He fled the scene.
avamiah · 01/05/2021 01:11

Sn0tnose,
Yes I know that it states he came into contact with them during his career.
But why all of a sudden is there 20 woman making sexual allegations about him. ?

myrtleWilson · 01/05/2021 01:13

Huh - Barrymore was there on the night SL died

If the allegations are so heinous am sure NC could take action against the Guardian for publishing them - I'm guessing as he as said 'sorry for the things I didn't do, I'm going to go into therapy to learn to be better and I don't recall if I sent a dick pic' - I'm going to guess that NC has reached the conclusion that exiting stage left (pursued by bear) is the best option for him.

avamiah · 01/05/2021 01:17

GrimDamnFanjo,
But he isn’t guilty of a Crime is he ?
But there is always going to be a big question in everybody’s minds that’s why he lost his career .

PurgatoryOfPotholes · 01/05/2021 01:17

@avamiah

StillFemale, Yes I read that , But my question is “ where did the 20 woman come from” ?
His life. Confused
myrtleWilson · 01/05/2021 01:18

@avamiah

GrimDamnFanjo, But he isn’t guilty of a Crime is he ? But there is always going to be a big question in everybody’s minds that’s why he lost his career .
No question in my mind
Onlinedilema · 01/05/2021 01:19

After reading his tweets he sounds like a vile piece of crap.

Onlinedilema · 01/05/2021 01:24

Regarding Michael B. He called his agent after finding the body of a dead man in his swimming pool, not the poluce, not the ambulance service, his agent. His agent apparently advised him to leave, don't call for help just leave and distance yourself from the scene. I say dead man, for all we know he might have still been alive but he left him there to drown. I'm sure if it was your son you would find Michael B's actions unacceptable.

CheezerGoode · 01/05/2021 01:28

@MorrisZapp Can certify that Adam Hills is v nice IRL.

Sandra15 · 01/05/2021 01:37

@avamiah

WTF, I just can’t believe what I have read in the news and seen on TV, I have been lost for words to be honest . It says 20 woman ?, I mean where did they all come from and why now ? I’m no expert but he has to be arrested as these allegations are of a very serious nature and in my opinion he needs legal representation as the law states we are innocent until proven Guilty .
It's now come to light that he took a photograph of people having sex doggy style through their window and put it on Twitter. I can't believe what I am reading.
Sandra15 · 01/05/2021 01:38

And not defending him in any way, but you would have thought they would have closed the curtains.

avamiah · 01/05/2021 01:39

I do Not know him personally or anybody related to him but in my opinion I think these allegations which they are at the moment have just finished his career .
I can’t see how he can recover from this as can that many woman be Wrong or Lying ???
That’s the Question .

Sn0tnose · 01/05/2021 01:41

Yes I know that it states he came into contact with them during his career.
But why all of a sudden is there 20 woman making sexual allegations about him?

Well that would be because at least 20 women feel that he’s sexually harassed them and like the victims of Jimmy Saville, Bill Cosby, Rolf Harris, Max Clifford, Harvey Weinstein and Larry Nassar, along with the victims of many other sexual predators whose cases were either dropped or are still ongoing, they either came forward at the time but were told to shut up and go away, or they didn’t feel able to take NC on by themselves, or they minimised what he’d done to them (as many women do) and had time to dwell on it, or they felt brave enough to speak once they realised they weren’t the only ones he’d done it too.

It’s very common for victims of sexual assault and harassment not to disclose immediately. I feel like I’m missing what it is you’re confused about.

subbysammiexoxo · 01/05/2021 02:01

A family friend is good friends with noel grew up with him etc and is shocked by the allegations, said he's a very lovely man so who knows the truth will come out in the end, however it actually is

avamiah · 01/05/2021 02:04

Sn0tnose,
Your not missing anything as I’m not Confused at all.
I’m just wondering why he hasn’t been arrested if 20 woman have come forward and said he assaulted them.
Surely he would want to clear his name ?

IloveJKRowling · 01/05/2021 02:32

In my opinion it's vanishingly unlikely that 20 different women, in different jobs and who encountered him at different times and stages in their careers are all lying. You only have to read his tweets to see he's a misogynist. His tweets are anything but 'lovely' if you're a woman.

I can't believe upon reading that article and his tweets the first response of some people is to defend this man.

No evidence will be enough, will it? I bet more women will speak up now. At what point will those apologising for him agree enough is enough? How long did it take with Savile? How many women will it take?

Women are so hated, I feel sick. I actually feel guilty for bringing my daughters into this woman hating world.

And the reason he hasn't been arrested is that these women, presumably, haven't reported to the police because they know it's pointless. Not even rape is prosecuted, what's the point? It would just end up piling trauma upon trauma.

Great post @JaniceBattersby

IloveJKRowling · 01/05/2021 02:34

The Guardian article strongly implies that he's not denying some of the charges (he offered to 'apologise' to some of those who he allegedly abused as long as they didn't speak up!).

SmokedDuck · 01/05/2021 04:08

@VladmirsPoutine

I think a lot of this behaviour goes on in a lot of industries and can be very low level stuff - by that I mean there are certainly things that have happened to me that I have 'explained away' to myself because it didn't amount to much. Thinking back on it it was categorically wrong but my point is all this behaviour adds up till it becomes something like this. So all the 'why now!' 'how could this have happened' is actually unhelpful.
It's a mix o things I think.

There is always going to be a line, and a guy like this will walk that line in a very deliberate way.

I've occasionally heard a person say they would like a workplace where there is never any physical contact or you could never ask a person out at work or all off colour jokes are out. Which they are entitled to think but I don't think most people want the line to be quite that tightly drawn and you can't really change this kind of thing without a certain amount of buy in. So someone predatory will always pick the things that could be interpreted in different ways or where it seems ambiguous. And since we can't see into their heads we aren't sure.

The film industry however is especially prone, is for a lot of reasons - people become star struck, there is a lot of money, too many people wanting to get ahead compared to those who will so those who get ahead have to put up with a lot or even be willing to be unprincipled.

But I think film is especially difficult because the industry already asks young women to be loose with their sexual boundaries, and sell themselves as a sexual commodity. It has to affect how people in the industry think about tractional sex, how the women feel about themselves. They learn to put up with it, or the competition selects for those who are willing to trade on it. And those people end up setting the pattern that others feel the need to follow.

Predators will be able to thrive in an environment like that, and I think that it can probably create predators too.