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Many of the stories are similar: The film mogul Harvey Weinstein is said to have ordered young women to his hotel room, where he was alone with them, then showed themselves naked in front of them and demanded a massage. Some women were able to escape the situation, others apparently not. There are reports that Weinstein forced his suspected victims to oral sex, he allegedly raped several women.

For decades, that went well, many had wanted to know, no one protested in public. Why?

Weinstein apparently used two things so that his victims would not speak out: his power in the film business - and money. So he should have threatened the actresses, if they were not complacent, it would hurt their careers. He is said to have offered some money to others to keep silent.

Weinstein denies the allegations

It will not be publicized until October 5, 2017, through a report in the New York Times. In it, among others, the actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd to speak. Weinstein publishes a statement in which he admits to having done "harm". He disputes the abuse allegations. Later, actress McGowan aggravates her accusation: On Twitter, she writes that she had been raped by Weinstein. That too he denies.

A few days after the first revelation, there is another report, this time in the New Yorker magazine citing 13 other alleged victims; Three of them accuse Weinstein of rape. One of the women is the Italian actress Asia Agento. She reports on an incident that is said to have occurred in 1997 in southern France. The actresses Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow also report being sexually molested by Weinstein. His wife, designer Georgina Chapman, leaves him.

From hashtag to movement

#MeToo was born as a movement a decade ago by activist Tarana Burke on the MySpace platform to raise awareness of sexual violence in society. "I've never had a vision that should change the world, I was just trying to change my environment," Burke told NBC. "This is just the beginning, it's not just a moment, it's a movement, and now it's really starting to work."

Kathryn Mayorga also said she was encouraged by the #Metoo movement to make her allegations against football star Cristiano Ronaldo public. She accuses him of raping her in a hotel room nine years ago. Although she initially signed a contract for secrecy against a payment of $ 375,000. However, she now wants to go to court - the incident she has not let go of all these years, she says. Ronaldo denies the allegations.

The Italian actress Asia Argento was one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein. In her presentation, Weinstein had asked her in 1997 in a hotel room for a massage and then pressed her legs apart. Against her will it came to oral sex. Later, she and Weinstein had several times consensual sex. However, she had feared that if she did not sleep with Weinstein, he would torpedo her career.

Today, a year later, Argento sees himself exposed to abuse allegations. Actor Jimmy Bennett claimed to have slept with him when he was 17 - sexual offenses are punishable in the state of California under 18 years of age. Agento had initially denied everything, but recently admitted intercourse with Bennett. Also in the case reportedly Schweigegeld.

The closest associate of Argento has long been the actress Rose MCGowan . Their stories are similar: McGowan, who publicly accuses Weinstein of rape, also reports that he overpowered her and forced her to have oral sex in her hotel room. "I freeze - like a statue," McGowan writes in her book, which later describes her experience in detail. Weinstein calls her a "monster".

Meanwhile, she has also publicly broken with Argento. On August 27, she published a detailed statement in which she wrote that it was sad to lose a friend. Argento then threatened her with a lawsuit.

With a tweet to the scandal around Weinstein US actress Alyssa Milano had initiated the # MeToo debate. In their opinion, the movement still fulfills its purpose: to recognize and discuss problems. Social change is not yet complete: #MeToo is "still strong and growing". The fact that people continue to hold others accountable for their actions, whether male or female, is a sign that the movement is working and progressing.

The "Time" magazine named the movement "Person of the Year" at the end of 2017. On the cover were women like actress Ashley Judd , singer Taylor Swift and the software developer Susan Fowler to see.

Judd and other women had started the case of Weinstein. Swift successfully sued a radio host who had groped her. Fowler had described a corporate culture full of sexism at the car service provider Uber, the company boss Travis Kalanick finally drove out of office.

The revelations about his alleged misconduct against women marked a turning point: Harvey Weinstein , former US film producer. More than 80 women now accuse him of harassing, abusing or raping her.

In New York, he has to answer for a few cases in court, including in Los Angeles and Britain is being investigated against him. He continues to fight everything. When a sentence is pronounced against him, is still open.

One of the first cases in which a senior figure condemned for the #Metoo movement was US actor Bill Cosby ("The Cosby Show"). Ironically, the "father of America" ​​is said to have stunned women for years and have passed them. A court found him guilty of serious sexual coercion in three cases. Now the 81-year-old has to serve at least three years imprisonment. He has already taken the prison sentence.

Kevin Spacey does not have to answer to a court in California. The investigators had examined allegations of a man who had claimed to have been harassed by Spacey in 1992. The case was time barred.

Last fall, several allegations of allegations against House of Cards star Spacey had been raised. Actor Anthony Rapp (46, "Star Trek: Discovery") claimed to have been molested as a 14-year-old. Spacey, according to a spokeswoman in 2017 in therapeutic treatment.

"What began on the casting couch has found its way to the Supreme Court," writes The Economist, referring to the influence of the #Metoo movement on the case of Judge Brett Kavanaugh , who attempted one of them Rape is accused.

In a similar case in the 1990s, when Anita Hill alleged sexual harassment against a candidate for a Supreme Court judge, she was massively sexually defamed by reporters. Such behavior is unthinkable in the post-Metoo era. Christine Blasey Ford , who testified against Kavanaugh in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee, was also subject to fierce attacks, including death threats.

Today, Weinstein accuses more than 80 women of sexual harassment, abuse and rape. According to a spokeswoman, Weinstein says, according to "Vanity Fair", that he has ended a 45-day therapy for his addiction at an early age and did not stop, as previously reported. The spokeswoman announces that Weinstein will additionally complete programs that revolve around "addiction-driven behavior", dealing with anger and nutrition.

Not only privately, but also professional Weinstein is done shortly after the first releases. The organization behind the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is among the first that excludes Weinstein. A statement states: "This is a deeply disturbing problem that has no place in our society."

In mid-October 2017, Weinstein resigns from the chairmanship of his company, which filed for bankruptcy half a year later and will be sold in July 2018. Actors such as Julia Roberts, Brad Bitt and Quentin Tarantino had previously been urged to wait for the sale because of outstanding debt in court.

At the beginning of the revelations Weinstein is said to have told a reporter that he wants to take a break and then work in the business again. This shows how much he misjudged the extent of his fall - and misjudged how strongly the social climate had changed.

The anger was there since the election of Donald Trump to the 45th President of the United States. One day after it was inaugurated, on January 21, 2017, more than half a million demonstrators marched through the Washington Women's March, doubling across the nation. They protested against a president who even a sound recording did not cost the election victory, in which he boasted of taking women in the step. Sixteen women were charged with sexual misconduct against him - until today, the cases are not cleared up.

Worldwide solidarity through #MeToo

The allegations against Weinstein brought the issue of sexual violence against women back into the public eye months later, when the demonstrations had already subsided. The movie mogul became the symbol of something many women have experienced - now they decided not to remain silent. Actress Alyssa Milano called on the network women who experienced sexual harassment or abuse to post and share their experiences with the #MeToo extension on Twitter. The hashtag was used millions of times.

The news site Vox.com now lists 219 cases accusing actors, company bosses and other celebrity men of sexual misconduct.

Weinstein has since been tried in a New York court. It's about allegations of rape, sexual abuse and harassment. In May, Weinstein himself contacted the police. One day later he was released on bail; he had to deposit a million dollars for it. His alleged victim McGowan still speaks of a "great day for his victims". Weinstein threatens up to 25 years in prison. He pleaded "not guilty."

Also in Los Angeles and Great Britain is currently being investigated against him. In the UK, there are incriminating statements from eleven women. At least one German actress is also among the prosecutors.

Weinstein's next court hearing in New York is in November.