Latest news with #MeToo
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Pedro Pascal targeted by suspected smear campaign during Fantastic Four press tour
While promoting The Fantastic Four: First Steps worldwide, Pedro Pascal is now facing what appears to be a suspicious smear campaign on social media. Despite his growing popularity in 2025, a wave of criticism has emerged online, with some users accusing the actor of inappropriate behavior during press events—particularly in interactions with co-star Vanessa Kirby. How does Pedro Pascal get away with heavily petting his female costars, in Hollywood of all places, after the entire industry was upended over MeToo several years ago? — John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) July 23, 2025 A viral post on X (formerly Twitter), which received over 47,000 likes, questions Pascal's physical affection with female co-stars, drawing comparisons to Hollywood's post-MeToo era. This backlash arrives as online discourse grows increasingly wary of coordinated takedowns, especially following long-running public conflicts like the one between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. In that case, Baldoni was accused of orchestrating a doctored social media smear campaign—raising public awareness about how such efforts can be manufactured. I know an artificial smear campaign when I see one — and Pedro Pascal is being targeted. Probably because he's so well-loved by so many, and an advocate for trans rights. — 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍𝙰𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 🇨🇦 (@LeaveHeardAlone) July 24, 2025 The Pedro Pascal hate campaign that suddenly sprung up over night has got to be the most obviously coordinated and botted attack I've ever seen. It's literally the Superman monkey meme incarnate — Mischief (@MischiefsYT) July 24, 2025 Some users have linked the sudden shift in sentiment toward Pascal to his recent vocal opposition to J.K. Rowling's anti-trans views. While no direct connection has been proven, many fans suspect a broader, possibly bot-driven campaign is targeting the actor. 'The Pedro Pascal hate campaign... is the most obviously coordinated and botted attack I've ever seen,' one user wrote on X, garnering thousands of likes. this whole pedro pascal thing is just revealing that most men cannot fathom intimacy and affection without the promise of sex — ellaa (@EllaaKates) July 25, 2025 I think most of the anger directed at Pedro Pascal is men not knowing what consent is — evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) July 25, 2025 Vanessa Kirby, Pascal's co-star, addressed the criticism in Vanity Fair. Referencing their hand-holding moment during 2024 Comic-Con, she said, 'He wanted me to know we were in this together... I found it a lovely gesture.' Actor Simu Liu also weighed in, criticizing 'manufactured hate' and defending Pascal's character during what he called a 'moment of extreme visibility.' manufactured hate for someone simply because they're experiencing a moment of extreme visibility (ie a press tour they're contractually obligated to do) is really fucking boring. — Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) July 26, 2025 Despite the backlash, Pascal remains in demand, appearing this year in The Last of Us Season 2, The Fantastic Four, Materialists, and Ari Aster's Eddington.
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Hockey Canada trial exposes culture of victim-blaming
Article content All of Canada it seems was tuned into the verdict Thursday for the five hockey players accused of sexual assault. For advocates and survivors, we did so with a feeling of dread and a terribly familiar feeling of déjà vu. Article content The players have of course been found not guilty. The accusation was that 2018 Canadian world junior champions and ex-NHL players Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote sexually assaulted a women called E.M. in a London hotel room in the early hours of June 19, 2018, when she was 20 years old. McLeod was also acquitted of being a party to a sexual assault, for allegedly encouraging his teammates to engage in sexual activity with E.M. when he knew she wasn't consenting. Article content Article content Article content The judge's verdict seemed to go out of its way to dismiss the experience of E.M., calling her unreliable, despite the fact that Hockey Canada seemed to find it valid enough to award her a large settlement and the police felt there was valid evidence to pursue charges. It is worth noting that of all the cases reported to police of sexual assault, research suggests only a small percentage go to trial, so this wasn't a case without merit or reason. Article content Article content Regardless of whether these actions met the weight of a criminal act, they were at their most obvious, sexual misconduct. It has been determined in court that these five men knew the victim was drunk; they texted afterwards about getting their stories straight and they also got her to film a video asserting her consent. At no time in my entire dating life have I had to do that and I am sure you have not either. Article content Article content However, the responses online have been vicious: Comment after comment calling her a whore. Saying she wanted it. Saying she should even be prosecuted. Article content I have written for this publication and others for over a decade on sexual violence. I am a survivor myself. During Me Too, we had this false moment of belief that the culture of victim-blaming or slut-shaming was over, that we had reached a new point of being able to approach the issue of sexual violence from a victim centric approach. Article content Now, when I use that term I get people saying 'innocent until proven guilty.' Yes, absolutely. I am not saying, nor is any advocate, that we should not have a fair judicial process in these matters but is it fair to subject a survivor to five days of aggressive testimony when none of the players save one had to do the same? Is it fair that she is accused of trying to ruin people's lives and deemed a slut and these players are given a free pass? None of this is fair. The system itself is designed — despite recent moves to train judges and increase awareness — to protect people who commit sexual violence and when it comes to sports stars, the public is all too happy to be part of it.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
What we can all do now after the Hockey Canada verdict: Be BRAVE
One of the most high-profile sexual assault cases in Canadian sports history has ended in acquittals, a stark reminder that the legal system feels less like a path to justice and more like an obstacle course built to exhaust and discredit people who report. So where does that leave us? What can we do after the verdict, outrage and inevitable backlash? We know what comes next: There will be takes declaring the 'death' of #MeToo, despite its founder, Tarana Burke's steady reminder that Me Too is a movement, not a moment. Misinformation and rape myths will be plastered across social media, echoed in comment sections and dropped casually into family group chats. Every phone notification will give you a sinking feeling in your stomach, like a brick thrown into water. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scots festival celebrates female cinema and island culture
The artistic director of the Sea Change Festival, which will be held on the remote Hebridean island between 19 and 21 September, explains: 'My parents were Scottish. After I became redundant, my auntie offered my grandad's house on Tiree, so my family and I moved there ten years ago. 'This was around the time of Me Too and a lot of great work was being done about increasing female representation in film. I remember going to an industry event and telling everyone about an idea I had about a female-led film festival. 'A few people offered to run sessions and help out. We received funding and started the first festival in 2018.' Jen Skinner (L), alongside colleagues at the festival. (Image: Sea Change) Skinner says that the festival, which is associated with Screen Agryll and will feature the iconic mobile cinema 'the Screen Machine,' has been rebuilding since the Covid pandemic provoked a generational change in film watching. Indeed, in the run-up to the festival, Screen Argyll will tour Mull, Coll, and Seil, screening a range of classic films directed by women at local venues across the islands. While things have been 'a bit quieter' in recent years, Skinner is excited for this year's festival, which will focus on women in Scottish animation. 'The first festival really demonstrated how important it was to be on Tiree and how it benefited the community,' she notes. 'You have the chance to get away for a bit and watch a film under the big open skies. It brings out a different element, and it is really lovely how cinema can bring people together.' Orcadian Amy Liptrot, author of the The Outrun, will introduce a special screening of the eponymous Saoirse Ronan film, while Shallow Grave star Kerry Fox will speak about some of her favourite collaborations with female directors including Fanny and Elvis and An Angel At My Table. Skinner says: 'I'm delighted we will be welcoming Kerry Fox to the festival. It's bringing me full circle in a way. My first joh in cinema was managing the Hebden Bridge Picture House, and we'll be screening Fanny and Elvis, which was shot in Hebden Bridge. 'We are also welcoming Alison Gardner from the Glasgow Film Theatre. We've wanted to get her to Sea Change for a while. She'll be hosting an 'in conversation' discussion with Fox.' Gardner will also take part in the Sea Change's industry programme; which will include practical sessions, networking opportunities, and one on one conversations. An attendee takes part in a filmmaking session. (Image: Sea Change) The involvement of the local community is integral to the success of the festival, Skinner says, providing an example from a recent conversation. 'I was speaking to a local man who is very involved and sits on every community board there is on Tiree,' Skinner tells me. 'I told him how excited I was about The Rugged Island, an archival film about crofters on Shetland, and how we have two fiddle players coming to play for us as well. I said there was no excuse for him to come now!' The Rugged Island, directed by Scottish filmmaker Jenny Gilbertson, has been praised as a 'tender and beautiful dramatisation of Shetland life,' and includes a live score by award-winning fiddlers Inge Thomson and Catriona McDonald. 'Last year, we made a Mama Mia film with 98 people from the local community,' she adds. We will hold sessions in the school and animation workshops with young people and families.' The festival liaises with a range of local businesses, as Skinner notes: 'A wild bathing company from Oban will be holding seaweed baths and leading swimming sessions each morning. We also work with local providers to secure accommodation and run the cafe and organise activities.' 'What about funding,' I ask. Will the festival be able to weather the budget constraints of a world which seems to value the arts less and less. Skinner responds: 'It is always difficult as we rely on year on year project funding. However, Screen Scotland has confirmed they will fund the festival for the next two years. That's been good as we can plan for the future.' As we wrap up our conversation, I ask Skinner what her driving motivation is? Why should people spend a weekend on a remote island a four hour ferry ride from Oban? Read more: When Ozzy Osbourne played the Barrowlands, 37 years ago today Why does everyone seem to hate Maggie Chapman? Smoked salmon, Irn-Bru bhajis and micro herbs: What's on the menu at Bute House? She pauses, before responding with consideration. 'It's important to increase representation on screen. Women working in the industry are still a small number, especially the higher up you go. There still aren't a lot of female directors,' Skinner says. 'We want to platform a range of different stories from those in the global majority and around the world.' Indeed, the festival's programme is very diverse, ranging from Motherboard, branded as 'an epic look at solo motherhood shot over 20 years and 6 I-Phones' to Sister Midnight, a feminist punk comedy set in Mumbai, and Spanish film Sorda, which tells the story of a young Deaf woman trying to have a baby.' Skinner sums it up well. 'You know, cinema can be political. The shared experience of watching a film together opens people up to different worlds and new ideas.'
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Toronto Sun
GUNTER: Cancel culture dealt a blow with Hockey Canada sex assault trial verdict
The courtroom is shown in this sketch from London, Ont., as Justice Maria Carroccia delivers her ruling in the sexual assault trial for five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team, on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Alexandra Newbould / The Canadian Press '#MeToo changed our culture, but it couldn't change our courts.' 'No justice for the victim.' 'Survivors of sexual assault need our understanding, not courts deaf to their complaints.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Those and many, many other headlines and ledes blared out Friday that, in one form or the other, the woman known only as 'E.M.,' who had alleged five Hockey Canada junior players had gang assaulted her in 2018, had been let down by the justice system or even wronged by it. But the decision brought down Thursday by Justice Maria Carroccia in a London, Ontario courtroom — all five defendants were 'not guilty' — makes me thankful the #MeToo movement didn't change our courts. For a time, at the movement's height in 2018, being accused of sexual misconduct by a MeToo follower was enough to end the career of any man accused of harassment or unwanted advances. No evidence was needed, no trials were held. To be sure, lots of pigs guilty of real crimes got outed — deservedly. Movie producer Harvey Weinstein was one. In 2021 and 2022, Weinstein was found guilty in both New York and Los Angeles of five counts of rape for forcing young starlets to have sex with him in return for roles in his movies. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Other abusers, who had gotten away with coerced or non-consensual sexual behaviour for years, saw their reigns of terror ended. Good. And I do think the movement has made men, especially those in positions of power, rethink their behaviour towards female underlings. Another good. But because social media and cancel culture were the juries that decided which men tarred with the MeToo brush were worthy of punishment (indeed the term 'cancel culture' evolved in lockstep with MeToo) a lot of men lost their careers as the result of a tweet (or two million tweets). This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Actual courts have to concern themselves with little matters such as evidence, due process and reasonable doubt. But not online lynch mobs. While office romances were once common, most large companies now have policies preventing bosses (male or female) from 'fraternizing' with employees. Data company Astronomer has just such a policy that, if followed, would have saved CEO Andy Byron and HR executive Kristin Cabot the humiliation of having their extramarital affair exposed to the world on a kiss cam at a Coldplay concert outside Boston last week. We've forgotten the concept of innocent until proven guilty, too. In the Hockey Canada trial, E.M. levelled serious allegations against five players who were playing professionally at the time. When police first investigated her claim, they found it insufficient to arrest the quintet. A second look that included the Ontario Crown attorney Office came to much the same conclusion. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But when media and politicians took an interest, charges were laid, the players were suspended from their teams and dragged through nearly three years of legal proceedings. Were the sex acts they committed with and to E.M. reprehensible? Without a doubt, even if they were consensual. But were they criminal? Not according to Justice Carroccia, who before being appointed was one of the most experienced criminal lawyers in Ontario and who, since joining the bench in 2020, has presided over at least two other complex sexual assault trials. She decided one for the Crown and one for the defendant. Yet thousands of advocates and activists are enraged by her ruling and have promised to fight for justice for E.M. They find E.M.'s telling of events authentic in part, I think, because activists over the last 20 years or more have convinced themselves women never lie about assault. At the very least, they are sure a woman's version is always the whole truth. Justice Carroccia didn't see it that way. After listening to more than seven weeks of testimony, the judge found E.M.'s version lacked credibility. But the response of women's groups and E.M.'s fans has been, essentially, 'We didn't get the outcome we wanted, so the system most be broken.' In this case it worked as it should, unlike the 'rough justice' demanded by the mob. Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Columnists Toronto Blue Jays Toronto & GTA
