JK Rowling (right) confronted Omar Alghabra about a video he posted to Twitter, which some describe as “mocking” women. (Photos via Canadian Press and Getty Images)
Canada’s transport minister faces some anger from Twitter users, including author JK Rowling, after she posted a video to raise awareness of violence against women.
On Thursday afternoon, Transport Secretary Omar Alghabra took to social media to share a video of several Canadian politicians walking through a meeting room in pink heels.
“Violence against women is still widespread in our society. ‘Hope in Heels’ is an event that raises awareness of violence against women while encouraging men and boys to be part of the solution,” Alghabra tweeted alongside his video, which garnered more than two million views. “We wore her signature pink heels to support this important cause.”
However, Twitter wasn’t too pleased with the clip, with many calling it “offensive” and “a mockery” of women.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling had a hilarious response for Alghabra and her response garnered more than 30,000 likes and 2.5 million views.
“Keep us posted on how many femicides this has prevented,” the controversial author commented in a quote retweet.
A report released in late March indicates that femicide is increasing dramatically in Canada. The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) report indicates that at least 850 women and girls have been killed since 2018.
“This means that at least every other day a woman or girl is killed through violence,” CFOJA noted in its report. “Every 48 hours a woman or girl is killed. Where information is known, men are the majority of those accused.”
A day after the video was posted, Alghabra added in a reply to his original tweet that he wanted people to listen to what he had to say.
“Now that I have your attention, violence against women comes in all forms, not just physical,” he wrote. “Men, starting with me, need to be aware of the consequences of our actions and words and do better to make room for women around us.”
The story goes on
Still, this follow-up didn’t stop many Twitter users from calling out the Syrian-Canadian politician.