#Metoo fuelled by hatred of men, say 100 French women

CATHERINE DENEUVE, the actress, and 99 other French women yesterday denounced a backlash against men following the Weinstein scandal, saying the #Metoo campaign against sexual harassment amounted to “puritanism” and was fuelled by a “hatred of men”.

In the aftermath of accusations against the US film producer, millions of women shared stories of being sexually harassed or assaulted online using the #Metoo hashtag or #Squealonyourpig (#balancetonporc) in France. “This urge to send men to the slaughterhouse, instead of helping women be more autonomous, helps the enemies of sexual freedom,” the 100 women said in a column in Le Monde. The man’s right to “pester” a woman was an essential part of sexual freedom, they said, describing the campaign as “puritanism”.

“This vigilante [online] justice has punished men in their jobs, forced some to resign, when all they did was touch a knee, try to steal a kiss or talk about ‘intimate’ matters,” they wrote.

“We defend a right to pester, which is vital to sexual freedom.”