HBO and Channel 4 are facing backlash from supporters of the European Union over their upcoming film Brexit, with some leftist claiming the Benedict Cumberbatch drama is a form of unwelcome interference into the British criminal justice system.
The film, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the Vote Leave campaign head Dominic Cummings, tells a story of how Brexit referendum was supposedly won through the use of xenophobia and scare tactics.
Despite the film’s obvious anti-Brexit bent, with Cumberbatch himself being an ardent supporter of Britain’s membership of the bloc, many ardent remainers argue it glamorizes a campaign that violated campaign finance laws and subverted democracy.
Guardian writer Carole Cadwalladr, a known conspiracy theorist who claims the Russian government may have interfered in the electoral process, accused HBO of “interfering in our criminal justice system.”
“Fuck off @HBO. Imagine if we did this for Trump right now. You are literally interfering in our criminal justice system,” she wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “You’re heroicising a man in contempt of parliament. We don’t know the facts still. Because he refuses to tell Parliament. But this character with the ‘software’ is bullshit. The ‘physicists’ are still unknown. The work was not declared. Electoral commission refused to investigate.”
You’re heroicising a man in contempt of parliament. We don’t know the facts still. Because he refuses to tell parliament. But this character with the ‘software’ is bullshit. The ‘physicists’ are still unknown. The work was not declared. Electoral commission refused to investigate
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) December 15, 2018
Other remain supporters also chimed in, claiming that releasing such a film in the midst of Britain’s ongoing political crisis over the issue was “irresponsible.”
Dear HBO – it’s a bit irresponsible to release a disaster movie when we’re still in the middle of the disaster.
Regards,
The U.K.#BrexitHBO
— Scott Free (@shrimperbhoy) December 15, 2018
the last thing the we need is an hbo adaptation of brexit starring benedict cumberbatch.
— 🐽alim kheraj (@alimkheraj) December 14, 2018
oh my god what I thought ‘Brexit starring Benedict Cumberbatch for HBO’ was a joke 😭 it’s REAL??? 😭😭😭
— bridget minamore (@bridgetminamore) December 15, 2018
Oh god, I genuinely thought you were all joking about Brexit, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, but it turns out it's real?!
— Caspar Salmon (@CasparSalmon) December 15, 2018
no thanks https://t.co/vMquoaZ4Pq
— Elle Hunt (@mlle_elle) December 17, 2018
“Brexit: The Uncivil War is a drama based on extensive and in-depth factual research from a myriad of sources and is an accurate, duly impartial and fair examination of the events of the time and of the people involved,” Channel 4 said in response to the backlash.
“The biggest political moment of recent British history, Brexit is legitimate territory for a Channel 4 drama to explore and, as our remit calls for, we expect this film to stimulate debate and discussion,” they added.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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