Actress says sorry to abuse victims
CATHERINE Deneuve has apologised to “all victims of odious acts who may have felt offended” by the open letter she signed that defended men’s “freedom to importune”.
The 74-year-old actress was among more than 100 French women in entertainment who put their name to an open letter published in Le Monde newspaper last week denouncing the #MeToo social media campaign against sexual harassment, but has now clarified her comments, admitting she dislikes “pack mentality”.
In an open letter published by the French newspaper Libération, she wrote: “Yes, I like freedom. I don’t like this characteristic of our times whereby everyone feels they have the right to judge, to arbitrate, to condemn.
“A time where simple denunciations on social media generate punishment, resignation and often lynching by the media… I don’t excuse anything. I don’t decide the guilt of these men because I am not qualified to do so. And few are…”
Deneuve also hit back at people who claimed she was not a feminist, pointing out she signed a 1971 manifesto defending abortion rights.
She added: “Abortion was punishable by criminal prosecution and imprisonment at the time.
“That is why I say to conservatives, racists and traditionalists of all kinds who have found it strategic to support me – I am not fooled.
“They will have neither my gratitude nor my friendship; quite the contrary. I am a free woman and I will continue to be.”