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Deneuve and 99 other women on Tuesday signed a
column in the newspaper Le Monde that argued that the #Metoo
movement amounted to puritanism and was fueled by a hatred of
men.
Their column struck a radically different tone from that of
Sunday's Golden Globe Awards ceremony at which Oprah Winfrey and
major Hollywood figures backed #Metoo and other initiatives to
fight gender inequality and sexual assault.
"With this column they are trying to build back the wall of
silence we have started breaking down," feminist activist
Caroline De Haas and some 30 other women said in their own
column, published by franceinfo TV's website.
In the aftermath of accusations against U.S. movie producer
Harvey Weinstein, millions of women took to social media to
share their stories of being sexually harassed or assaulted,
using the #Metoo hashtag worldwide or #SquealOnYourPig (#balancetonporc)in
France.
But 74-year-old Deneuve and the other signatories to the column
said the #Metoo movement had gone too far, defending what they
termed as a right for men to "pester" women. They said this was
essential to sexual freedom and that women could be strong
enough "not to be traumatized by gropers in the metro."
"It's dangerous to put it this way," Gender Equality Minister
Marlene Schiappa told France Culture radio, saying the
government was already struggling to convince young women they
are not to blame when someone gropes them and that they should
go to the police to file a complaint when it happens.
Schiappa told Reuters last year that she believed the Weinstein
scandal would force a rethink of attitudes toward sexual
harassment in France.
Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 2 television the
column was "a bit out of sync with what many women may
experience."
Deneuve received international acclaim for her acting, which
included starring roles in films by renowned directors Francois
Truffaut, Roman Polanski and Luis Bunuel.
Deneuve also occasionally worked as a model, including as the
face of Chanel No 5 and representing Marianne, the national
symbol of France for some years during the 1980s.
De Haas and the other activists argued that those of a mind with
Deneuve ignore the reality of sexual harassment.
"As soon as there is some progress with (gender) equality, even
by half a millimeter, some good souls warn that we may be going
too far," they wrote.
(Reporting by Ingrid Melander; Additional reporting by Caroline
Pailliez; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Larry King)
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