The premiere also made headlines when women’s rights protesters Sisters Uncut lay down on the red carpet alongside stars of the film Suffragette at the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival.
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Streep then discussed the unfair balance between men and women in the world of film criticism. She added: “This is exactly what our characters would do”.
Time Out London has since issued a statement, claiming the slogan was taken out of context, and that it was meant to be a “rallying cry” for the gender inequality movement and for women to stand together against oppression.
Women from the group Sisters Uncut clamoured over the barriers and onto the red carpet to stage a protest for more help for women suffering domenstic abuse – referring to recent cuts to services.
During BFI’s live stream of the event (see the video below) the protesters’ chants including “We are suffragettes” could be heard as the actors walked the red carpet and the festival’s presenter conducted interviews over the PA system.
Helena Bonham-Carter applauded the protesters, saying: “I think it’s marvellous”. “We are those people, we are women, we will not be silenced”.
They reportedly didn’t mind though with Helen and Laura Pankhurst – great granddaughter and great-great granddaughter of Emmeline – describing the protest as “fantastic”.
The period drama, which tells the story of the British women’s suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th century, will premiere at London’s Leicester Square.
The film’s stars appeared to have even been in support of the demonstration, calling it a “perfect response” to the movie.
“I think my white sisters and brothers like Meryl Streep, no matter how famous or talented, need to understand that slavery or references to slavery is not something to take lightly”, Powell tells WENN. Her new movie, Suffragette, gets a wide release soon, and she and a few of her costars have caused controversy by wearing tee-shirts bearing a line from the movie: “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave”.
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Time Out said that the message was clear for people “who read the piece”, claiming that out of at least a half a million readers from the United Kingdom, they’d received no complaints.
