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Lena Dunham Slammed for Defending ‘Girls’ Writer Murray Miller Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

Lena Dunham, Girls, Writer, Murray Miller
Lena Dunham attends Lenny 2nd Anniversary Party in New York City on September 15, 2017.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Lena Dunham has been criticized on social media after she released a statement defending Girls writer Murray Miller, who has been accused of sexual assault.

Actress Aurora Perrineau, daughter of Lost star Harold Perrineau, filed a police report on Friday, November 17, about an alleged 2012 rape when she was 17 years old. In her statement to TheWrap.com, Perrineau claimed she was attacked by Miller after a night of drinking, saying, “At some point, I woke up in Murray’s bed naked. He was on top of me having sexual intercourse with me. At no time did I consent to any sexual contact with Murray.”

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Dunham and fellow Girls creator Jenni Konner responded to the allegations made against their former coworker by releasing a statement on Friday that read, “During the windfall of deeply necessary accusations over the last few months in Hollywood, we have been thrilled to see so many women’s voices heard and dark experiences in this industry justified. It’s a hugely important time of change and, like every feminist in Hollywood and beyond, we celebrate. But during every time of change there are also incidences of the culture, in its enthusiasm and zeal, taking down the wrong targets.”

They went on to defend Murray, continuing, “We believe, having worked closely with him for more than half a decade, that this is the case with Murray Miller. While our first instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3% of assault cases that are misreported every year. It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed.”

“We stand by Murray and this is all we’ll be saying about this issue,” the statement concluded.

The Not That Kind of Girl author, 31, also wrote on Twitter, “I believe in a lot of things but the first tenet of my politics is to hold up the people who have held me up, who have filled my world with love.”

Several fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment in the Girls star’s response, given her staunch stance on support for victims of sexual harassment and assault.

Related: Celebs Fight Back on Twitter!

One Twitter user wrote, “Lena said one thing three months ago and has now changed her tune because her friend is being accused,” while another mocked the Lenny newsletter founder, tweeting, “Believe women, unless they say something about a friend of mine, in which case they are liars.”

Another shared a screenshot of a tweet written by Dunham in August that said, “Things women do lie about: what they ate for lunch. Things women don’t lie about: rape.”

Dunham has been extremely vocal about Hollywood’s most recent sexual misconduct scandals involving producer Harvey Weinstein, directors James Toback and Brett Ratner, comedian Louis C.K., Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey and more on her social media accounts.

Related: Stars Speak Out Against Harvey Weinstein Amid Sexual Misconduct Scandal

She posted on Twitter on November 1, “Being a teenage girl in NYC you knew about Toback. Young in Hollywood you were warned about Weinstein, Ratner and even Spacey. What’s happening isn’t news exactly. It’s what we all quietly understood and accepted being unmasked for what it is: a human rights issue. When things you knew but didn’t know you were allowed to talk about rise up, it hurts in a special way. Anger, relief, fear.”

Dunham also joked in October, “You will be shocked to learn I did not have any trouble delivering a monologue about the systemic abuse that comes with being a woman artist.”

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