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Twitter backtracks and blocks account after Louise Mensch is porn-harassed

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By Steven Raeburn, N/A

January 7, 2014 | 4 min read

Former Parliamentarian Louise Mensch has claimed that Twitter took no action in respect of an allegation of sexual harassment via Twitter, and said that the matter was resolved within “five minutes” after she crowdsourced for public support.Mensch posted a link to the harassment, which featured a photoshopped image of the face of Mensch, pasted onto the body of a kneeling woman in the act of fellating four men.She said that Twitter support took “two months to decide to do nothing”. After drawing attention to the tweet, she quickly drew support from her follower base, including oarsman Matthew Pinsent.“Wow. I have just received the most mind-blowing letter from Twitter support (two actually) telling me a tweet is not sexual harassment and is also not pornography, and therefore they will not remove the image or discipline the account,” she said.“I file actual reports on Twitter very rarely. Most sexually harassing stuff you just ignore or you'd be writing reports all day long.“However, on this occasion I thought it necessary to file a proper report to Twitter - after @stellacreasy and @CCriadoPerez experience.“And I am warning everybody right now that it is a gross, obscene and barely sexist image. Twitter said this wasn't sexual harassment.”

Louise Mensch

She said that her actions and those who tweeted in support had forced Twitter’s hand.“Upon my expression of shock that this wasn't considered sexual harassment same "Twitter support" person emailed to say "not pornographic",” she tweeted.“I respect many people from Twitter UK and don't wish to call them out personally, but unless I get some answers from someone here, I will raise this tomorrow by name and I will ask any feminist here, male or female, to demand an explanation.”She tweeted shortly afterwards that Twitter had suspended the account.
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