Catherine Deneuve defends men's 'right to hit on' womenQuote:
French actress Catherine Deneuve has said that men should be "free to hit on" women.
She is one of 100 French women who wrote an open letter, warning about a new "puritanism" sparked by recent sexual harassment scandals.
It deplores a wave of "denunciations", following rape allegations made against US movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
A group of French feminists condemned the letter, accusing the signatories of trivialising sexual violence.
Mr Weinstein denies all allegations of non-consensual sex, but has admitted that his behaviour has "caused a lot of pain"..............
Catherine Deneuve and Others Denounce the #MeToo MovementQuote:
...........“Rape is a crime. But insistent or clumsy flirting is not a crime, nor is gallantry a chauvinist aggression,” the letter, dated Monday, begins. “As a result of the Weinstein affair, there has been a legitimate realization of the sexual violence women experience, particularly in the workplace, where some men abuse their power. It was necessary. But now this liberation of speech has been turned on its head.”...........