Free Republic

PARIS — Actress Catherine Deneuve joined 99 other French women claiming that men are being unfairly targeted by sexual misconduct allegations, adding that the #MeToo campaign amounted to "puritanism" and was fueled by a "hatred of men." In the aftermath of accusations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, many women took to social media to share their stories of being sexually harassed or assaulted, using the #MeToo hashtag worldwide as well as #balancetonporc — or #SquealOnYourPig — in France.

A collective of 100 prominent French women, including famed actress Catherine Deneuve, have denounced the “puritanism” that followed in the wake of allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, declaring that men should be “free to hit on” women. The letter in Le Monde, signed by around 100 French women writers, performers and academics, deplored the wave of “denunciations” that has followed claims that producer Weinstein raped and sexually assaulted women over decades. They claimed that the “witch-hunt” that has followed threatens sexual freedom. “Rape is a crime, but insistent or clumsy flirting is not, nor is gallantry a macho aggression,”...

Veteran French actress Catherine Deneuve launched a strong defence of Gérard Depardieu on Friday, calling a virulent critic of her fellow thespian's bid for tax exile a petty-minded pygmy. Deneuve's defence came after the reclusive French film legend Brigitte Bardot castigated attacks on a man who is arguably France's leading actor with roles in nearly 170 films. The hulking 64-year-old star's move to Belgium has been derided as "pathetic" by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault while another top French actor, Philippe Torreton, publicly accused him of sulking like a playground creep. Deneuve, a chiselled blonde actress whose career spans nearly a...