Author Margaret Atwood has sparked a Twitter storm after a provocative column on the Me Too anti-sexual harassment movement.
Her op-ed published in the Globe and Mail newspaper questioned the impact of the movement against inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Ms Atwood called the movement a “symptom” of a broken legal system.
She also defended her support for due process in the case of a male writer accused of sexual harassment.
Ms Atwood, the Canadian author of the dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, is the latest in a number of celebrities to face a backlash after weighing in on the movement sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
French actress Catherine Deneuve recently apologised to sexual assault victims after signing on to a letter that argued the campaign against sexual harassment had gone too far.
In the column, Ms Atwood says the Me Too movement “has been very effective and has been seen as a massive wake-up call. But what next?”
Skip Twitter post by @MargaretAtwood
Taking a break from being Supreme Being Goddess, omniscient, omnipotent, and responsible for all ills. Sorry I have failed the world so far on gender equality. Maybe stop trying? Will be back later. (Next incarnation maybe.)
— Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) January 14, 2018
End of Twitter post by @MargaretAtwood
She says she is concerned the University of British Columbia denied due process to professor and fellow author Steven Galloway, who first faced accusations of bullying and sexual harassment in 2015.
In 2016, members of Canada’s literary community, including Ms Atwood, rallied behind Mr Galloway.
They penned an open letter to Mr Galloway’s employer defending his right to due process following his suspension over undefined “serious allegations”.
A number of authors have since removed their names from the controversial letter.
Mr Galloway was dismissed by the university and is fighting his termination. He faces no criminal charges.
Of the criticism for adding her name to the letter, Ms Atwood wrote: “And now, it seems, I am conducting a War on Women, like the misogynistic, rape-enabling Bad Feminist that I am”.
She added: “In times of extremes, extremists win. Their ideology becomes a religion, anyone who doesn’t puppet their views is seen as an apostate, a heretic or a traitor, and moderates in the middle are annihilated.”
Ms Atwood also offers misgivings about the movement going too far, warning of the dangers of “vigilante justice”, which she says “begins as a response to a lack of justice”.
Margaret Atwood has been told—repeatedly, in person, with compassion and without rancour—the painful & chilling effect of her involvement with UBC Accountable. She has been told of specific instances of pain, and given additional details wrt the case. She knows. She doesn’t care.
— elaine corden (@elainecorden) January 13, 2018
End of Twitter post by @elainecorden
Skip Twitter post by @emmafromtoronto
Good morning everyone! Just here to say I would rather eat my own computer and then my own face than read something by Margaret Atwood with the title “Am I a Bad Feminist?” okay cool thanks bye
— emma healey (@emmafromtoronto) January 13, 2018
End of Twitter post by @emmafromtoronto
The column polarised debate on social media, with supporters praising her for challenging convention and for thoughtful criticism.
But she faced a fierce reaction against the piece.
Detractors criticised her likening of the Me Too movement to the Salem witchcraft trials and accused her of failing women by supporting a powerful male friend.