His decoration had become unbearable to him.
British comedian Alan Cummings, who has starred in
Spy Kids
and some of the
X-Men films
,
announced on Friday that he had returned the prestigious decoration of Officer of the Order of the British Empire. , which had been given to him in 2009. A renunciation inspired by the
“toxicity of the British Empire”,
explained the person concerned.
In a post published on Instagram on Friday, Alan Cummings indicated that the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, as well as "
discussions around the role of the monarchy and in particular the way in which the British Empire took advantage of the populations indigenous peoples (and their deaths) around the world
"
really "opened his eyes
".
"
Times and laws have changed in the United States
" and the benefits his award "
brought to the LGBTQ+ cause in 2009
" are now "
less powerful than my fears of being associated with the toxicity of empire
", underlined the comedian.
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Alan Cummings had indeed been decorated with the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his work as an actor, but also for his fight for the rights of LGBT people in the United States, where he lives most time and where it took until 2015 for gay marriage to be legalized nationwide.
Despite the return of his decoration, the Scottish actor on Friday renewed his "
great gratitude
" for having received it 14 years ago.
A colonial past that is a stain
The position of the actor brings a new stone to the building of the vast current reflection on the colonial past of the British Empire and its “misdeeds”, which extends in many fields.
Late last year, Welsh actor Michael Sheen returned the same decoration, protesting against the awarding of the title of Prince of Wales to the heir to the British crown, in this case Prince William, since the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
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In 1969, John Lennon, had returned his decoration of member of the Order of the British Empire to protest against the British engagement in the civil war in Nigeria and its support for the Americans in the war of Vietnam.
In a sally of British humour, the Beatles singer said he was returning his decoration
"in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support for America in Vietnam and against the fall of
Cold Turkey (a single from his group Plastic Ono Band, Ed.)
to the charts”.
More broadly, the colonial or even slavery past of several renowned British families has also been scrutinized for a few months.
The Barbados government, in particular, is seeking reparations from millionaire and British Conservative MP Richard Drax, whose ancestors played a major role in the triangular trade and development of the island.
The British royal family as well as that of actor Benedict Cumberbatch are also in the sights of the Barbadian authorities.