Twitter suspended actress Rose McGowan’s account Wednesday following a series of tweets in which she criticized Harvey Weinstein and Ben Affleck.
McGowan, who said Weinstein assaulted her in 1997, took to Instagram to announce that her account had been suspended due to violating Twitter’s rules. She apparently included someone’s private phone number in one of her tweets, according to Rolling Stone.
Given the amount of power Harvey Weinstein clearly holds, McGowan and many of her fans do not believe the temporary suspension was due to violation of a rule.
“TWITTER HAS SUSPENDED ME. THERE ARE POWERFUL FORCES AT WORK. BE MY VOICE,” McGowan wrote.
It is entirely possible that the tweet did indeed get flagged in the system and cause the ban, but Weinstein has proven, through his ability to have the scandal published in major news outlets for years, that he has big time power to shut things down.
McGowan had written a tweet telling Ben Affleck to “F— off” after Affleck released a statement denouncing Weinstein’s actions.
The pair had appeared together in the 1998 film “Phantoms,” which was produced by Weinstein. “Good Will Hunting,” which was also produced by Weinstein and won Affleck and Matt Damon Academy Awards for Best Screenplay, was released later that year.
Weinstein allegedly assaulted McGowan at the “Phantoms” premier at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.
Five days after the claims broke out, Affleck said he was “saddened and angry” over the allegations, which made him “sick.”
“We need to do better at protecting our sisters, friends, co-workers and daughters,” Affleck said. “We must support those who come forward, condemn this type of behavior when we see it and help ensure there are more women in positions of power.”
McGowan also alluded in tweets to Weinstein being a “rapist,” but did not mention the famed Hollywood producer specifically by name, and implicated his brother, Bob Weinstein, in the scandal as well.
The actress has been crusading against Weinstein since the news broke of his lurid behavior towards women in the industry.
Women fight on. And to the men out there, stand up. We need you as allies. #bebrave
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 5, 2017
Other actresses who have come forward, saying they experienced inappropriate sexual behavior from Weinstein, include Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Cara Delevigne and Rosanna Arquette.
In the aftermath of the allegations, Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company. His wife, Georgina Chapman, the co-founder of fashion label Marchesa, announced that she is leaving him.
(H/T: The New York Times)