The Twitter community rallied behind actress Rose McGowan, when the social media site temporarily suspended her account overnight.
Rose McGowan’s Twitter Account Temporarily Suspended
McGowan alerted followers to the suspension via Instagram, with the caption, “TWITTER HAS SUSPENDED ME. THERE ARE POWERFUL VOICES AT WORK.” She also encouraged supporters to “be (her) voice” using #ROSEARMY, a hashtag that end up trending on Twitter early this morning.
Under suspension, McGowan’s account would be temporarily limited, Twitter explained. While still able to browse the site, McGowan would be unable to tweet, retweet, or like any posts. To restore full functionality, she would need to delete whatever tweet violated Twitter’s rules.
McGowan Speaks Out In Aftermath Of Weinstein Exposé
When the explanation for the suspension remained unclear, many, including McGowan herself, assumed it had to do with her outspoken tweets regarding the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal. McGowan, who reached a $100,000 settlement with Weinstein in 1997, was one of the actresses named in the New York Times exposé.
Since the article’s publication, McGowan has stepped forward to attack those in Hollywood who failed to criticize Weinstein’s behavior, tweeting, “You all knew.”
And McGowan hasn’t been afraid of naming names. When Ben Affleck first responded to the allegations, saying he was “saddened and angry,” McGowan promptly tweeted that Affleck should “f— off.” Affleck has since come under fire himself for an unearthed video clip from MTV’s TRL that shows him groping then host Hilarie Burton.
Twitter Users Offer McGowan Support
Twitter quickly came to McGowan’s defense in the wake of her suspension, with many viewing the actress as a crusader against sexual harassment in the film industry:
Hey @Twitter let us know which of these rules @rosemcgowan broke. Asking for multiple victims of sexual violence. https://t.co/eiZjQeMAVg
— Jessica Chastain (@jes_chastain) October 12, 2017
Wtf @Twitter @jack? My timeline is inundated with heinously offensive bots daily and this is the account you suspend? I need an explanation. https://t.co/uHrwyl7ZGp
— Holly Marie Combs (@H_Combs) October 12, 2017
Suspend @rosemcgowan, @Twitter, but @realDonaldTrump’ll be on here tomorrow morning slathered in threats & bile? Yeah. Fix that quick. https://t.co/Xznc9OgDvR
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) October 12, 2017
Wow, @Twitter, seriously? THIS is the account you suspend but not Trump who threatened to wipe out another country? Suspend me too, please. https://t.co/ZHhvIkfEcN
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) October 12, 2017
But Trump can threaten war. https://t.co/yTVRq7dv6e
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) October 12, 2017
Twitter Finally Gives An Explanation
McGowan’s account has since been restored, with Twitter finally offering an explanation for its suspension. In a statement posted to the Twitter Safety account, the site explained that her account “was temporarily locked because one of her tweets included a private phone number, which violates our Terms of Service.” Responding specifically to the backlash the suspension received, Twitter added, “Twitter is proud to empower and support the voices on our platform, especially those that speak truth to power.”
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