RUSSELL Brand asked “are we being silenced” before going on a conspiracy-filled rant – as cops launched a probe into sex assault allegations.

The comedian, 48, went on an hour-long rant about free speech on Monday night — 15 minutes after police said they were investigating new allegations of sexual assault against him.

Brand has vigorously denied allegations made against him. 

The Met confirmed at 4.45pm that its officers were looking into fresh claims.

In a tweet 18 minutes later at 5.03pm, comedian Brand said: “Are we being silenced? The battle for free speech — streaming now on @rumblevideo.”

His live stream on online platform Rumble started around ten minutes later.

In it, Brand, who has been blocked from earning cash from YouTube videos, went on a long-winded rant alleging a government conspiracy to prevent him from sharing his theories.

He said: “We are going to be talking about the State and the legacy media’s war on free speech. And in particular, how that has affected me this week.

“We are going to continue to do on this channel what we’ve always done [which is] tell you the truth as best we can.”

The star, 48, continuously begged followers for donations.

Subscribers pay a minimum £50 a year to subscribe to Rumble, and creators can earn more cash from donations.

Earlier a Met spokesperson said: “Following an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times, the Met has received a number of allegations of sexual offences in London.

“We have also received a number of allegations of sexual offences committed elsewhere in the country and will investigate these.

“The offences are all non-recent. Officers will be offering specialist support to all women who have made allegations.

“Detectives have launched an investigation into allegations of sexual offences.”

Det Supt Andy Furphy added: “We continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us.

“We understand it can feel like a difficult step to take and I want to reassure that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support.”

Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four women including, one of whom was aged 16 at the time.

Allegations made in a joint investigation by The Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches include that he raped a woman against a wall at his Los Angeles flat.

The four women say he attacked them between 2006 and 2013 at the height of his fame, when presenting shows for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood movies.

The accusations include not only rape and sexual assault but also emotional and physical abuse.