#WomenBoycottTwitter to protest Rose McGowan’s suspension

Rose McGowan

Some women on Twitter are taking a leave of absence from the platform on Friday the 13th to protest actress Rose McGowan’s suspension for speaking out against Harvey Weinstein and his company’s board.

The hashtag #WomenBoycottTwitter was adopted Thursday evening and was intended to take effect from midnight in New York. The intention is to limit Twitter’s ad revenue for a day as fewer users log on.

Many high-profile Twitter users have stood in solidarity with the boycott, and by Friday morning it was trending number one worldwide.

Some men are also joining in the protest.

The movement, however, has drawn criticism from women of colour who are dismayed that this support isn’t rallied when Twitter discriminates against them.

Musician Questlove pointed out that sports journalist Jemele Hill has been hit with vitriol from US President Donald Trump on Twitter after she labelled him a white supremacist. She has subsequently been suspended from her job at ESPN.

Others have also felt that fighting silencing from Twitter by silencing yourself isn’t necessarily the best route.

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