MeToo founder Tarana Burke has spoken out defiantly in response to the overturning of Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, the BBC reports.
Burke, who first coined the phrase MeToo to describe women victims of sexual abuse as early as 2006, and saw it gain worldwide recognition in 2017 in the light of accusations against Weinstein, said: “This is not a blow to the movement. It is a clarion call and we are prepared to answer that call.”
This comes after New York Court of Appeals ruled that the disgraced producer did not receive a fair trial in 2020, and ordered he face a new trial.
While Weinstein’s lawyer called the decision “a victory for every criminal defendant in the state of New York,” Burke was among many people criticising the decision. The BBC quotes her saying:
“We are devastated for the survivors who are connected to this case and the survivors who had found some solace and catharsis in the original verdict around Harvey Weinstein.
“Many people, many survivors and those who love and support survivors probably thought that original verdict meant that there was going to be a change, that it marked a change and marked a difference in how this justice system was going to move and operate.
This moment, and this decision, actually means that we have a movement. Ten years ago, we could not get a man like Harvey Weinstein into a courtroom.”
