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This Town Is Burning a Big-Ass Effigy of Harvey Weinstein This Weekend

The annual British bonfire bash has torched massive replicas of Donald Trump​, Lance Armstrong​, and Saddam Hussein in the past.
Drew Schwartz
Brooklyn, US
Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images

On November 4, thousands of Brits are expected to gather around a 36-foot effigy of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein as his lumbering, robed body is packed full of gunpowder and blown to smithereens.

According to the BBC, the event in the English county of Kent is just one of dozens that the Edenbridge Bonfire Society is throwing this weekend to mark the date Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Britain's Houses of Parliament with a whole bunch of gunpowder. For the past 20 years, the society has set off fireworks, thrown parades, and generally raised hell before torching a giant effigy of Fawkes and a celebrity selected to accompany him. According to the group's press release, the choice was easy this year.

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"Weinstein was the obvious option due to allegations of outrageous and despicable conduct, which we at Edenbridge Bonfire Society obviously found completely abhorrent," the group said.

The Edenbridge Society donates proceeds from the event to charity each year and tries to draw as much publicity as possible by making its celebrity effigy a standout. Past picks have included Donald Trump, Saddam Hussein, and Lance Armstrong.

While the group's press release called sending the effigies onto the next life in a swirling pillar of flames a "light-hearted" way to celebrate November 5, it acknowledged the subjects the sculptures represent can get a little dark.

"There is of course nothing funny about Weinstein's behavior," the group said. "It seemed only fair that he gets his comeuppance in effigy form."

Dozens of women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault, and rape, triggering a cascade of accusations against other industry scions like Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, Dustin Hoffman, and James Toback. Only time will tell if any of those men will one day see themselves built into a 36-foot sculpture, paraded in front of a bunch of British people, and blown to high heaven.

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