Pilot flies banner over Hollywood sign: 'Stop Enabling Abuse'

Women's advocacy group UltraViolet flies banner over famous Hollywood sign calling for an end to abusein showbusiness. (UltraViolet)

A women’s advocacy group chartered a plane to deliver a powerful message to Hollywood on Tuesday in the wake of the shocking revelations against showbusiness big shot Harvey Weinstein.

UltraViolet, a group that dedicates itself to “fighting sexism” in politics, government and media, made a big statement on Tuesday when it flew a plane right over the famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles with a banner reading: “Hollywood: Stop Enabling Abuse.”

The move was a direct response to the recent allegations against Weinstein after several women came forward saying he abused his position of power and reportedly sexually harassed and sexually assaulted some. The group takes specific issue with those who have spoken out to say they were struck by the fact that so many seemed to be aware of what was going on, but hadn’t done anything about it.

“If we are going to tackle rape culture in this country, we need to address the entertainment industry and its willingness to cover up decades worth of sexual abuse on Harvey Weinstein’s account.” the group told Variety in a statement. “Not only has Hollywood normalized Weinstein’s abhorrent treatment of women, they enabled it by doing and saying absolutely nothing.”

In addition to the expose by The New York Times, which first shined a light on Weinstein’s alleged misconduct, The New Yorker published a piece not long before the flight of UltraViolet’s banner by Ronan Farrow which reported 13 more women alleging harassment by the Hollywood mogul, some claiming the encounters went as far as sexual assault.