Margaret Atwood is facing a feminist backlash after writing about the downside of the #MeToo movement and calling for greater transparency in the case of a former university professor accused of sexual misconduct.

Her critics say she has let down younger women whose views have been ignored for too long.

But the author of The Handmaid’s Tale, which portrays a dystopian, misogynistic future, says she has ended up in the firing line simply for insisting that due process be applied and everyone’s rights be respected.

The result is bitter series of online exchanges in which each side tussles over their version and vision of feminism.

In a provocative article, published in Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, Atwood writes that the #MeToo movement is the product of a broken legal system, using the internet to cause stars to fall from the skies.