Women impacted by predatory Twitter messages from Inuk activist band together

Amy Norman has never met Angus Andersen in person. They would chat online; they were both affiliated with the Labrador Land Protectors in the resistance against the planned Muskrat Falls hydro project in Labrador.

They talked about activism, but their conversations were more personal than thatNorman said they have family connections in the northern Labrador communities of Nain and Okak.

"He would talk to me about my grandparents and my great-grandparents, and how he helped shovel snow for them when he was a kid," she said.

Andersen, an Inukeducator and activist who runs a popular "Inuk word of the day" Twitter account, began gaining national attention as his education efforts became popularized in media. Initially, Norman said she saw that as a good thing, and that she looked up to Andersen because of his knowledge of language, culture and history.

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"Labrador Inuit tended to ... get ignored a bit," said Norman, "and so to see anInukfrom Labrador gain this massive platform he was doing a lot for the culture, and it was all very good work."

However, the pair's relationship quickly took an unwelcometurn.Since late October, a number ofwomen havecome forward on Twitter including Normansaying Andersen sent them unwelcome, sexually suggestive private messages.

Norman ignored the message she got from Andersen after she posted a picture of herself in a low-cut shirt. She said he immediately sent her a private message: "Oh my God, amazing pictures please take more."

This message alone wasn't enough for Norman to say anything, but whenother women started to share their experiences, Norman broke her silence in a thread on Twitter.

"It was kind of like, oh, this really is a pattern," she said. "I wasn't the only one who felt even mildly skived out by this."

As a result of the women's accounts, Memorial University of Newfoundland's community radio station pulled Andersen's Inuktitut and English radio program, saying the student union is investigating his conduct.

Meeting for those affectedThursday

Allison Doyle is an activist in St. John's who also received unsolicited messages from Andersen. She said she told him to "knock it off" in person, and he did. She didn't tell anyone else about the messages.

"I guess I put his activism as more important than my own experience with him," she said.

Doyle said she was "gutted" when she saw how many other messages Andersen sent. So she reached out to Jenny Wright, the executive director of the St. John's Status of Women Council, and asked ifthe centre wouldhost a gathering of the women in St. John's who'd received messages from Andersen.

Wright immediately agreed, saying coming together is a form of resistance.

The gathering is in St. John's Thursdayevening. Wright said the phone lines will be open,in case women from Labrador, or anyone else, want to join the gathering. She also said a counsellor will be present.

Denise Cole is with theLabrador Land Protectors,an activist group that Andersen is affiliated with. She says that he is no longer considered an ally of the group.

"Yes, Angus was representing Inuit culture in a very meaningful way, but he's not our only knowledge keeper," she said."We are about protection of rights and of land and of culture, so the things that have come to light about Angus really disappoints us and upsets us."

When Andersen was initially outed he sent out a three-part tweet, denying it was him sending the private messages, saying he had been hacked. Later, he sent another three-part tweet, owning up to the messages and apologizing.

Cole said that's the first step. "Making apologies is one thing, but there's a lot of steps to a healing path."

She said thatuntil Andersen makes amends with the women he harmed, and heals himself, he will not be considered an ally of the land protectors.

"This time of hiding predators is over," she said.

CBCNews spoke to Andersen for this story but he declined to go on the record, saying that he had apologized.

He said he's trying to get funding to go home to Nain to talk to an elder about his healing.

Norman said she doesn't think Andersen grasps how he's hurt people. She wants him to take a step back from being the face of Labrador Inuit culture.

"You don't want to lose the culture," she said. "But you don't want to keep it at the cost of harming women."

Anyone who is interested in taking part in Thursday's meeting can call the St. John's Status of Women Councilat 709-753-0220.