An ‘enraged’ Florence Pugh has called out Instagram for blocking her post after she spoke on the rape allegations surrounding a top US university.
The actress took to social media with an essay last night, calling for men to start ‘leading conversations’ on alleged sexual assault, rather than ‘stay quiet’.
Pugh, ‘heartbroken’ and ‘sickened’ by the claims, shared her thoughts after a former Cornell University student filed a civil lawsuit, alleging that she was drugged and gang-raped by seven fraternity members in October 2024.
The accused are Winston Lee, Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Gillio Lopes, and Diego Sarabia.
Cornell, in New York, expelled two of the accused students, while others were handed lighter penalties, such as essay assignments and workshops. The alleged victim dropped out.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to bring charges, with the woman now seeking compensatory and punitive damages, naming Cornell, seven male students, Greek organisations, and local bars in the filing.
Upon learning of the lawsuit, which claims systemic negligence, Pugh, 30, praised the Jane Doe for her bravery, calling her ‘unbelievably powerful’ and ‘so strong-willed’.
She also declared that the world will ‘do better’ while expressing her ‘horror’ at how the survivor was not protected.
Pugh began in her post, which has clocked up over one million likes: ‘After reading about the young woman who was gang raped at her college by her friend and school peers, I’m feeling uneasy and sick and anxious.
‘I’m processing quietly and watching everything and everyone and every man. I have a few thoughts on this horrific act that happened at Cornell College in 2024. I know this has happened before, and I hate the idea of it happening again.’
She went on to say, ‘this is really the moment where we need our men to be as horrified and as sickened as us’, urging them to take charge of discussions ‘about how we change the allowance and complicity of this behaviour’
‘How can you expect us to trust that it’s “not all men” when in moments like this, many of you stay quiet?’, she asked.
Pugh proceeded to question the planning of the alleged assault, which would’ve required ‘action and conversations’.
‘Had it been in the works for a while?’, she pondered. ‘Was the damage of this poor woman’s body thought about over and over before?’
She implored authorities to look at ‘every single person who knew or heard about this happening’ with ‘serious concern’, branding them ‘as evil as those planning it’ and ‘cowardly’ for not speaking up to prevent it.
Pugh then vented over how the alleged rapists were ‘let off’, calling their punishments thus far ‘unacceptable’.
‘We are not hard enough on those that want to damage human lives,’ she argued. ‘I salute all those at college that are fighting for that girl, exposing those boys and making life unbearably impossible to find joy during their terms.
‘They should not be allowed to walk freely like the rest of us who treasure and care for souls.’
Pugh concluded her lengthy post by shaming colleges and universities for ‘building men’ who are taught ‘they can do extreme harm and that they won’t be harmed in return’.
Admitting she is no longer ‘tired’, but rather ‘enraged’ by how schools ‘protect boys’, she called for the higher-ups who ‘protect and lightly sentence men who rape and destroy’ to also be disciplined.
Instructing readers to ‘be angry’, she signed off: ‘We are the life force of this earth, start f***ing protecting us.’
After uploading her original carousel, the Little Women actress was outraged to discover the platform had censored it as ‘sensitive content’, so she posted it again.
‘Instagram decided to block my post from getting in front of the right people. Tut tut tut. Oh dear. That doesn’t look great does it?’, her caption read.
The Midsommar star has long been outspoken with her views on topical issues, including double standards and gender equality in Hollywood, bodily autonomy, and women’s health, leading to her being viewed as a young feminist icon by fans.
As it stands, the investigation into the rape allegations from the Chi Phi fraternity house has been reopened.
The survivor, aged 20 at the time, reported what happened to the university’s police department after three weeks, her lawsuit says, prompting an internal inquiry.
Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, says none of the accused was arrested, with the documents claiming Cornell ‘created an environment where sexual assault and rape of persons such as Plaintiff would be tolerated’ and failed to ‘discipline or remove’ the students.
Giuffra added, as per the CBS report: ‘There were so many people that could have prevented it, and they didn’t. I’ve never seen anything like it.’
‘She’s not in college anymore because of this. She’s barely hanging on for what these guys did to her.’
The lawsuit says multiple people ‘began engaging in sexual acts (including both oral and vaginal intercourse)’ with the woman without her consent, and while she was unconscious, one man allegedly wrote in the fraternity Snapchat group that there was ‘free p***y’.
In response to the new lawsuit, the Tompkins County District Attorney said his office has ‘conducted a thorough review’ of the original police investigation, but ‘there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges’.
Cornell also responded, confirming the Xi chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity has been banned from campus.
‘Federal privacy law prohibits Cornell from disclosing specific information regarding individual students, and we therefore are unable to make a public statement on any other disciplinary response,’ a statement said.
‘Violations of university policies could lead to sanctions up to and including suspension or expulsion. We will respond in detail through the legal process.’
In its own statement, Chi Phi national headquarters told CBS News the allegations are ‘deeply concerning’, insisting ‘anyone who reports sexual violence deserves to be heard and treated with compassion, dignity, and respect’.
‘We are aware of the lawsuit concerning an alleged incident in 2024. While we cannot discuss the specific allegations during pending litigation, we take this matter seriously. Our responsibility is to approach this with care for those affected and respect for a fair legal process.’
What to do if you’ve been raped
If you have been the victim of rape, either recently or historically, and are looking for help, support is out there.
- If you have recently been raped and you are still at risk, ring 999 and ask for the police. Otherwise, the first step is to go somewhere you are safe.
- If you want to report your rape to the police, ring 999 or the police non-emergency line on 101. An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) will often be on hand to help you through reporting and even after you have made a statement, you can still decide to withdraw from the criminal justice process at any time.
- If you plan on going to the police, if possible, do not wash your clothes or shower, bathe or brush your teeth. If you do get changed, keep the clothes you were wearing in a plastic bag. These steps will help to preserve any DNA evidence your attacker may have left on your body or clothes.
- If you don’t want to contact the police, Rape Crisis suggest talking to someone you trust about what has happened; or you can ring one of the UK’s many rape and sexual assault helplines.
- Anyone aged 16+ can contact Rape Crisis’s 24/7 Support Line by calling 0808 500 2222 or starting an online chat.
- If you have been injured, you’re best advised to go to your nearest A&E to seek medical treatment. If you are uninjured, you can go to your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). The NHS has information on where to find your nearest centre here.
- If your rape is historic, you can still access support, including from the police – there is no time limit on reporting and your account can still be used as evidence.
Read more here.