Florence Pugh has criticised Instagram after the platform blocked her post about rape allegations involving a top US university. The actress, 30, shared an essay on social media calling for men to lead conversations on alleged sexual assault instead of staying quiet.
Pugh said she was 'heartbroken' and 'sickened' by the claims, which emerged after a former Cornell University student filed a civil lawsuit. The woman alleges she was drugged and gang-raped by seven fraternity members in October 2024.
Cornell Lawsuit Details
The accused are Winston Lee, Scott Kretzschmar, Scott Norris, Matthew Ingalls, Johnathan Newell, Gillio Lopes, and Diego Sarabia. Cornell expelled two of the accused students, while others received lighter penalties such as essay assignments and workshops. The alleged victim dropped out of the university.
Prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to bring charges. The woman is now seeking compensatory and punitive damages, naming Cornell, the seven male students, Greek organisations, and local bars in the filing. The lawsuit claims systemic negligence.
Pugh's Message
Praising the Jane Doe for her bravery, calling her 'unbelievably powerful' and 'so strong-willed', Pugh declared that the world will 'do better' while expressing her 'horror' at how the survivor was not protected. Her post has clocked up over one million likes.
In her post, Pugh wrote: '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.' She added: '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'.
She questioned the planning of the alleged assault, asking: 'Had it been in the works for a while? 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.
Pugh vented over how the alleged rapists were 'let off', calling their punishments 'unacceptable'. She wrote: 'We are not hard enough on those that want to damage human lives.' She concluded by shaming colleges for 'building men' who are taught 'they can do extreme harm and that they won't be harmed in return'.
Instagram Censorship
After uploading her original carousel, Pugh was outraged to discover the platform had censored it as 'sensitive content'. She posted it again, with the caption: '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?'
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, prompting an internal inquiry.
Her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, says none of the accused was arrested. The documents claim 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: 'There were so many people that could have prevented it, and they didn't. I've never seen anything like it.'
The lawsuit says multiple people 'began engaging in sexual acts (including both oral and vaginal intercourse)' with the woman without her consent. While she was unconscious, one man allegedly wrote in the fraternity Snapchat group that there was 'free p***y'.
In response, 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 confirmed the Xi chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity has been banned from campus.
A Cornell statement said: '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.' 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'.
