The most famous female stars of British film are set to stand together on Sunday night, each dressed in black, on Bafta’s red carpet outside London’s Royal Albert Hall, many accompanied by feminist activists rather than by their partners.

Sisters, this is our moment to say Time's Up Read more

In the first major demonstration in this country of the growing Time’s Up movement campaigning against sexism and inequality, Andrea Riseborough will walk into the annual awards ceremony with Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, the trade unionist and co-founder of UK Black Pride, also known as Lady Phyll.

Gemma Arterton is to be joined by former sewing machine operators Eileen Pullen and Gwen Davis, two of the 187 women who, in June 1968, staged a three week walk-out from Ford’s Dagenham plant. They had learned they were to be classified as unskilled workers, with pay 15% less than their male counterparts.

Naomie Harris, Gemma Chan and the US activist and actress Tessa Thompson will be joined by other activists “to show solidarity with people across all industries who have experienced inequality and abuse”.

We are only now waking up to the … scale of systematic abuse, inequity and sexual harassment based on gender and power Gemma Arterton

In an expected gesture of unity, other guests at the glamorous event will wear badges of support. And in a further gesture of joint female protest co-ordinated with the American Time’s Up group formed in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations last autumn, 190 British and Irish actors – including Carey Mulligan, Kate Winslet, Claire Foy, Noma Dumezweni, Emma Thompson, Jodie Whittaker, Sophie Okonedo, Emma Watson and Saoirse Ronan – have signed an open letter of intent, published in the Observer for the first time, and setting out their demands for change.

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It states: “This movement is bigger than just a change in our industry alone. This movement is intersectional, with conversations across race, class, community, ability and work environment, to talk about the imbalance of power.”

The powerful letter, headed “Dear Sisters”, is one of two drawn up this weekend by the Time’s Up movement that call for an end to the tolerance of sexual harassment, violence, abuse and discrimination in the entertainment sector and across society.

The second letter, signed by leading activists in the movement and professional carers reads, “For each woman in the entertainment industry who has spoken out, there are thousands of women whose stories go unheard … These are not isolated incidents. This is about power and inequality; and it is systemic.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Actor Gemma Chan: ‘We all stand alongside the thousands of women who have challenged and raised their voices against harassment and violence across the world.’ Photograph: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty

Just as big Hollywood names Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep chose to demonstrate their anger at the levels of sexism and abuse in the film industry at the Golden Globes awards ceremony in Los Angeles last month, so high-profile British actors and campaigners decided to underline their solid stance against the widespread failings and inequalities in showbusiness on the eve of the Bafta film awards.

“We’re pressing for change in our industry, and we welcome the fact the UK industry has come together and developed principles and guidance which puts tackling harassment in the workplace on the agenda for everyone. We are only now waking up to the full scale of systematic abuse, inequity and sexual harassment based on gender and power – abuse that hurts us all. Today we stand in unity with others in zero tolerance of this abuse,” said Arterton.

If we truly embrace this moment, a line in the sand will turn to stone Letter signed by 190 activists

The performers’ letter argues that the feminist movement “is at a critical juncture”; while awareness has increased, the signatories decry the fact the gender pay gap for women in their 20s is now five times greater than it was six years ago.

“In the very near past, we lived in a world where sexual harassment was an uncomfortable joke; an unavoidable awkward part of being a girl or a woman. It was certainly not to be discussed, let alone addressed. In 2018, we seem to have woken up in a world ripe for change. If we truly embrace this moment, a line in the sand will turn to stone,” it reads.

Among other acclaimed British actors who have signed the letter are Ruth Wilson, Keira Knightley, Nicola Walker, Vicky McClure, Jessica Raine, Zawe Ashton, Vanessa Kirby, Rebecca Hall, Tamsin Greig, Sienna Miller and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

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Chan, a signatory, and a star of the Channel 4 drama Humans, said this weekend: “It’s time … we are here today as part of a much bigger movement supporting safety and equality in the workplace. We all stand alongside the thousands of women who have challenged and raised their voices against harassment and violence across the world.”

Actors and activists have also collaborated this weekend to support the UK Justice and Equality Fund, a new body that will provide a network of expert advice, support and advocacy organisations across the UK. An initial £1m donation from Emma Watson, followed by early generous financial gifts from actors such as Tom Hiddleston, mean the fund will be able to make workplaces safer and fairer, they hope, and ensure that anyone subjected to harassment and abuse can access professional support to seek justice.

Watson said: “It’s easy to dismiss harassment and abuse as being caused by ‘one or two really, really bad men’ but the UK statistics point to a much bigger and more structural problem. This issue is systemic, as opposed to individual, one-off events.

“More than half of all women, and nearly two-thirds of women aged 18 to 24, say they have experienced sexual harassment at work. One in five women in England and Wales have experienced some type of sexual assault after the age of 16. This should not be tolerated and cannot and should not be our norm. We can do better than this.”

The fund, which went live this morning, will be managed by Rosa – the UK-wide fund for women and girls. Donations can be made at the GoFundMe page gofundme.com/justice-and-equality-fund).

Edited text of the Unity Letter

Dear Sisters, A little over a month ago Time’s Up was launched. You may have noticed women wearing black on the red carpet. You might have seen women coming forward to share their stories of harassment. Maybe you identified with some of the stories these women shared. You might have seen #MeToo. You may have said, “Me too”.

So, what is our industry’s role in promoting a vision of an equal society? We believe it is huge. We believe we need to use our power as communicators and connectors to shift the way society sees and treats us. We need to examine the kind of womanhood our industry promotes and sells to the world.

There is no question that Time’s Up should be and will be a global movement. A movement that is defined and led by those affected by the problem, not by those in power.

As we approach the Baftas – our industry’s time for celebration and acknowledgment – we hope we can celebrate this tremendous moment of solidarity.

Perhaps Time’s Up seems a million miles away to you – started by a group of women with privilege. The truth is, we are all workers, and whether we’re in the limelight or in the shadows, our voices matter. With our collective power, we can galvanise others.

If you have said “time’s up”, if the stories you have read in the papers have resonated and distressed you – join us in shifting the dial. Let’s make 2018 the year that time was up on sexual harassment and abuse. This is your moment too.