Around 80 people jeered and banged on the windows of the prestigious Cinémathèque Française as they awaited his arrival last night (30 October). Some carried posters with slogans that read: 'If rape is an art, give Polanski all the Cesars [French Oscars]'.

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Two members of the French Femen group exposed their breasts and shouted "no honour for rapists". On one of their backs the slogan [VIP] 'Very Important Pedocriminel' could be read.

An online petition demanding the cancellation of the retrospective has so far collected more than 23,000 signatures.

The 84-year-old director, who has directed hit films such as Rosemary's Baby and The Pianist, was forced to enter the building through a side door for a screening of his latest movie, Based on a True Story.

Earlier this month, the Polish-born director was accused of rape by former German model Renate Langer who said he assaulted her in the Swiss alpine resort town of Gstaad in 1972 when she was 15. Last week Californian artist Marianne Barnard accused Polanski of sexually assaulting her when she was 10 years old in 1975.

He has been unable to travel to the US since he fled the country in 1977, where he pleaded guilty to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.

Polanski, through his lawyer denies this fresh claim, but this new accusation brings to at least four the number of women who have previously accused him of sexual assault.

The state-backed Cinematheque, led by the Greek-French director Costa-Gavras, refused to cancel the event, saying it "does not intend to substitute itself for the law".

Weinstein effect

Earlier, the director gave an interview to the France 5 TV channel where he steered clear of questions about his sexual conduct, but did say there were too many calls for denunciations in the current climate.

The controversy surrounding the Polanski's retrospective comes as allegations of sexual abuse and rape by Hollywood producer Weinstein have highlighted concerns about the harassment of women in the workplace in Europe and America.

In France this has been supported by the #MeToo social media campaign, or #balancetonporc, meaning "expose your pig".

Female MPs have told of having to fight off male colleagues, office workers have said their complaints of unwanted advances have been ignored by line managers and an assistant TV producer said she was threatened with the sack unless she slept with her boss.

But culture minister Francoise Nyssen argued that the Polanski retrospective should be viewed primarily as an artistic event.

She said: "It's about a body of work, not about a man. It's not for me to condemn a body of work."

In January, Polanski was forced out of hosting the César awards, after 61,000 people signed a petition opposing him being handed the coveted job.

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