ICYMI
Canadian transport minister called out by J.K. Rowling for 'mocking' high heels videoThe "Harry Potter" writer asked Omar Alghabra how many femicides his video would help prevent.
Chris Stoodley
·Lifestyle and News Editor
Sun, April 23, 2023
J.K. Rowling (right) confronted Omar Alghabra about a video he posted to Twitter, which some are calling a "mockery" of women.
(Photos via Canadian Press and Getty Images)
Canada's transport minister is facing some heat from Twitter users, including author J.K. Rowling, after posting a video to raise awareness on violence against women.
On Thursday afternoon, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra took to social media to share a video of several Canadian politicians walking around a meeting room wearing hot pink high heels.
"Violence against women is still prevalent in our society. 'Hope in Heels' is an event that spreads awareness on violence against women while encouraging men and boys to be part of the solution," Alghabra tweeted alongside his video, which has racked up more than two million views. "We wore their signature pink heels in support to this important cause."
Canada's transport minister is facing some heat from Twitter users, including author J.K. Rowling, after posting a video to raise awareness on violence against women.
On Thursday afternoon, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra took to social media to share a video of several Canadian politicians walking around a meeting room wearing hot pink high heels.
"Violence against women is still prevalent in our society. 'Hope in Heels' is an event that spreads awareness on violence against women while encouraging men and boys to be part of the solution," Alghabra tweeted alongside his video, which has racked up more than two million views. "We wore their signature pink heels in support to this important cause."
However, Twitter was not too pleased to see the clip, with many calling it "insulting" and a "mockery" of women.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling had a witty response for Alghabra, gaining more than 30,000 likes and 2.5 million views in her response.
"Keep us posted on how many femicides this prevented," the controversial writer commented in a quote retweet.
A report released at the end of March indicated that femicides are drastically increasing in Canada. The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) report indicated that at least 850 women and girls have been killed since 2018.
"That means, at least, one woman or girl is killed by violence every two days," the CFOJA noted in its report. "One woman or girl is killed every 48 hours. Where information is known, men are the majority of those accused."
A day after posting the video, 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 create space for women around us."
Still, that did follow-up did not keep many Twitter users from calling out the Syrian-Canadian politician.
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