Colin Farrell and gay brother join anti-bullying campaign in Ireland

Actor Colin Farrell wants to end antigay bullying in Ireland, saying he witnessed attacks on his gay brother, Eamon, when they were younger.

Both Farrell brothers have joined forces with Stand Up! Don’t Stand for Homophobic Bullying, a campaign launched last week by the Irish LGBT youth organization, BeLonG To.

“Each individual, as a member of his and her community, must Stand Up! In the face of this appalling brutality that plagues our schools," Colin says in a statement. "In effect, bullying is no less than the systematic doling out of pain upon the innocent. It is literally laughing in the face of somebody as they fall into increasingly grave danger. It's not my place to draw parallels, but we have had enough of such hardships. The world has."

He continues, “Whether it be the attacking of gay students, which I witnessed first hand happening to my own brother, or students who are in the minority as a result of race or religious beliefs or any other such characteristic that separates them from 'the norm,' it is all wrong and has no place in a just and compassionate country such as I know Ireland to be. We have always been praised as being the friendliest and most welcoming race in the world. My wish is for us to prove it daily, in the school yards and playgrounds across this Great Land of Ours."

Eamon and Colin Farrell