NEW YORK (AP) — Rose McGowan’s Twitter account has been suspended, temporarily muting a central figure in the allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
McGowan said late Wednesday that Twitter had suspended her from tweeting after the social media company said she broke its rules. On her Instagram account, McGowan said “there are powerful forces at work.”
“Be my voice,” wrote McGowan.
McGowan’s suspension caused an enormous backlash on social media, with many criticizing Twitter for a move that would silence an alleged victim of sexual harassment on its service. Jessica Chastain and Anthony Bourdain were among those who questioned Twitter’s action.
Representatives for Twitter declined to comment Thursday.
The New York Times earlier reported that McGowan was among the numerous women sexually harassed by Weinstein, who paid McGowan a financial settlement in 1997. That settlement included provisions about speaking about the case in the future.
While McGowan has avoided addressing her past with Weinstein directly, she has often seemingly referenced it. She last year said that she had been raped by a “studio head.” After the New Yorker expose ran Tuesday, which included the report that Weinstein had allegedly sexually assaulted three women, McGowan tweeted “now I am allowed to say rapist.”
“Any allegations of non-consensual contact are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein,” Weinstein representative Sallie Hofmeister said Wednesday.
McGowan also recently called Ben Affleck “a liar” on Twitter and suggested the actor knew about Weinstein’s conduct. Representatives for Affleck haven’t responded to messages regarding that allegation.
