French actress Catherine Deneuve has been made to look like a domestic violence victim by an Italian artist who says she has made abusive men feel ’empowered’ by denouncing the #MeToo movement.
Alexsandro Palombo has edited an image of the 74-year-old to give her heavy bruising around her eyes and lips, as well as a bloody nose.
The poster features the slogan ‘Vive la liberte d’importuner?’, or ‘Defending the freedom to bother?’ – a phrase that featured in the open letter signed by Deneuve and around 100 French female writers, performers and academics.
In the letter, the women suggested that the #MeToo movement had turned into a ‘witch-hunt’ that threatened sexual freedom.
Deneuve later apologised to sexual abuse victims, but stood by the letter published in French newspaper Le Monde.
French actress Catherine Deneuve has been made to look like a domestic violence victim in a poster created by Italian artist Alexsandro Palombo. The slogan reads ‘Vive la liberte d’importuner?’, or ‘Defending the freedom to bother?’ – a phrase that featured in the open letter signed by Deneuve that denounced the #MeToo movement
Posting the striking poster on Instagram – which featured the hashtag ‘breakthesilence’ – Palombo explained: ‘For some men, the freedom to bother a woman may mean “being allowed to disturb”, the freedom to disturb may mean “being allowed to harass” and harassment is an assault that in many cases leads to physical violence, or worse.
‘This kind of affirmation is the best gift a woman can offer to someone violent.
‘It means supporting the abuse of power perpetrated by many men against women of any status.’
He continued: ‘How many coward and violent men felt even more empowered and justified by the words of a public figure like Catherine Deneuve?
In the letter signed by Deneuve and other French stars, it was claimed that the #MeToo movement had turned into a ‘witch-hunt’ that threatened sexual freedom
‘Violence against women is a social cancer that knows no barriers or status. Anyone can become a victim. To overcome this scourge, we must use culture as an antidote.
‘Educate our young people to raise awareness on the themes of respect and equality. To harass a woman is a social and cultural regression.’
The open letter signed by Deneuve deplored the wave of ‘denunciations’ that had followed the Harvey Weinstein scandal last October.
Deneuve (pictured in 1968) later apologised to sexual abuse victims, but stood by the letter published in French newspaper Le Monde.
‘Rape is a crime, but trying to seduce someone, even persistently or cack-handedly, is not – nor is men being gentlemanly a macho attack,’ the letter read.
‘Men have been punished summarily, forced out of their jobs when all they did was touch someone’s knee or try to steal a kiss.’
Palombo previously sparked controversy after using photoshopped images of celebrities – including Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian and Emma Watson – looking disfigured as part of a domestic violence campaign.
MailOnline has contacted representatives of Deneuve for comment.