>> Norimitsu Onishi, The New York Times Published: 08 Apr 2021 04:50 PM BdST Updated: 08 Apr 2021 04:50 PM BdST Activists attend a gathering to protest against Turkey's withdrawal from Istanbul Convention, an international accord designed to protect women, in Istanbul, Turkey Mar 27, 2021. REUTERS/FILE When Sandra Muller launched France’s #MeToo social media campaign in 2017, tens of thousands of women responded to her calls to “Expose Your Pig,” or #balancetonporc.” "); } But the backlash was overwhelming. Some of the most prominent women in the country, led by Catherine Deneuve, denounced the movement in a letter that came to define France’s initial response to #MeToo. In 2019, Muller lost a defamation case against a former television executive she had exposed on Twitter, with France appearing immune to the larger global forces challenging the dominance of men.