PARIS — An open letter signed by movie star Catherine Deneuve and dozens of other French women about men being unfairly targeted by sexual misconduct allegations has prompted a backlash in the French press and on social media.

In the letter, published in Le Monde newspaper, Deneuve and about 100 actresses, writers, scholars, and artists assert that the ‘‘legitimate protest against sexual violence’’ stemming from the Harvey Weinstein scandal has gone too far and threatens hard-won sexual freedoms. They said men should be free to hit on women and advocated against ‘‘puritanism.’’

On Wednesday, French women’s rights activists denounced the letter as ‘‘a bit like the awkward work colleague or annoying uncle who doesn’t understand what’s happening.’’

The activists, including feminist Caroline De Haas, write on the Franceinfotv website that Deneuve and other signatories are making sexual violence appear normal.

Marlene Schiappa, France’s junior minister for women’s rights, told France Culture radio: ‘‘There are in this open letter some things that are deeply offensive and false.’’

The letter signed by Deneuve says that some women may see being rubbed against by a man in the metro as an expression of ‘‘sexual deprivation’’ or a ‘‘non-event.’’

Schiappa counters: ‘‘It’s dangerous to say such things.’’ Such an act constitutes sexual assault and is punishable by up to 3 years in prison and a fine of $90,100, she says.

Writer Abnousse Shalmani, one of those who signed the open letter, said she was surprised by the extremely violent reactions it prompted.

‘‘I consider myself to be a grownup,’’ she said on Europe 1 radio. “I am capable of receiving a sexual proposition and even more capable of saying no.’’

Italian filmmaker and actress Asia Argento, one of the dozens of women who have alleged Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them, called the letter deplorable in a tweet.

Within days of Hollywood offering a show of support for the #MeToo movement on the Golden Globes red carpet and stage, Deneuve lent her name to a public letter denouncing the movement, as well as its French counterpart, #Balancetonporc, or “Expose Your Pig.’’

Deneuve joined more than 100 other Frenchwomen in entertainment, publishing, and academic fields Tuesday in the pages of the newspaper Le Monde and on its website in arguing that the two movements, in which women and men have used social media as a forum to describe sexual misconduct, have gone too far by publicly prosecuting private experiences and have created a totalitarian climate.

“Rape is a crime,’’ the letter, dated Monday, begins. “But insistent or clumsy flirting is not a crime, nor is gallantry a chauvinist aggression. 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.’’

They contend that the “#MeToo’’ movement has led to a campaign of public accusations that have placed undeserving people in the same category as sex offenders without giving them a chance to defend themselves.

“This expedited justice already has its victims, men prevented from practicing their profession as punishment, forced to resign, etc., while the only thing they did wrong was touching a knee, trying to steal a kiss, or speaking about ‘intimate’ things at a work dinner, or sending messages with sexual connotations to a woman whose feelings were not mutual,’’ they write. The letter, written in French was translated by The New York Times.

The passage appears to refer to the some of the names on a growing list of men who have been suspended, fired, or forced to resign after having been accused of sexual misconduct in the last several months.

One of the arguments the writers make is that instead of empowering women, the “#MeToo’’ and “#BalanceTonPorc’’ movements instead serve the interests of “the enemies of sexual freedom, of religious extremists, of the worst reactionaries,’’ and of those who believe that women are “separate’ beings, children with the appearance of adults, demanding to be protected.’’ They write that “a woman can, in the same day, lead a professional team and enjoy being the sexual object of a man, without being a ‘promiscuous woman,’ nor a vile accomplice of patriarchy.’’

They believe that the scope of the two movements represses sexual expression and freedom. After describing requests from publishers to make male characters “less sexist’’ and a Swedish bill that will require people to give explicit consent before engaging in sexual activity, the women write, “One more effort and two adults who will want to sleep together will first check, through an app on their phone, a document in which the practices they accept and those they refuse will be duly listed.’’

They continue: “The philosopher Ruwen Ogien defended the freedom to offend as essential to artistic creation. In the same way, we defend a freedom to bother, indispensable to sexual freedom.’’

Though the writers do not draw clear lines between what constitutes sexual misconduct and what does not, they say that they are “sufficiently farseeing not to confuse a clumsy come-on and sexual assault.’’

Material from The New York Times was used in this report.