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Harvey Weinstein tried to make a move on Paris Hilton in the women’s bathroom at the amfAR Gala near Cannes, France, in 2001, when she was just 20 years old.

The disgraced movie mogul, whom the NYPD on Friday said it is working to arrest for allegedly raping “Boardwalk Empire” star Paz de la Huerta, “made a beeline for Paris” when she arrived at the gala hosted by Elizabeth Taylor and sponsored by Weinstein’s Miramax Films at the restaurant Le Moulin de Mougins.

The theme was A Diamond Is Forever, and Hilton arrived in a dress with three-quarters of a million dollars of diamonds sewn onto it.

An eyewitness told Page Six, “As soon as Paris arrived, Harvey made a beeline for her and was all over her. He even seemed to be salivating. He used his usual line, ‘Come to my office. I want to make movies with you. I can make you a star,’ ” but Hilton seemed unimpressed, said the witness, who insists he or she strongly remembers the incident because Weinstein was so aggressive.

During the cocktail hour, Hilton went to the ladies’ room, the witness continued, and Harvey followed her in. “He was pushing the door of the stall Paris was inside, demanding she open the door, saying he ‘needed to talk to her.’ She didn’t open the door. A male event worker had seen Harvey follow Paris into the ladies’ and alerted a security guard, who went into the bathroom and ordered Harvey to leave the women’s bathroom. At first he refused, saying, ‘I’m a friend, it’s OK.’ Finally, he was muscled out, and guards stood watch over Paris all night to protect her, partly because of her very valuable diamond dress and partly to keep Harvey at bay.”

Other guests at the gala for AIDS research included Dame Shirley Bassey, who performed, Naomi Campbell, Rosanna Arquette, David Lynch, Stephen Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming. Weinstein led the charity auction and even brazenly brought Hilton onstage despite his bathroom blunder.

Reps for Weinstein didn’t get back to us when asked for comment. Hilton declined to comment.