In the past, she has already been convicted of racial hatred.
Justice on Thursday sentenced the film star Brigitte Bardot for racist insults, describing the inhabitants of the French island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean, as natives who “kept their wild genes.”
A court in Saint-Denis de la Reunion imposed a fine of 20,000 euros (23,000 dollars) on the 85-year-old ex-actress, as well as 4,000 euros (4,600 dollars) for her press assistant for complicity.
Bardot, known for her defense of the animal cause, sent a letter in 2019 to the then government delegate on this overseas island, denouncing the “barbarism of meetings with animals.”
“The natives kept their wild genes,” writes the protagonist of And God created the woman that he compared La Reunion with “the island of the devil”, whose “degenerate population” is still “imbued” with “barbarian traditions”.
His statements sparked a wave of outrage. The then Minister of Overseas, Annick Girardin, wrote him an open letter to tell him that “racism is not an opinion, it is a crime.”
A deputy from the left, anti-racist groups and the defense of human rights denounced Bardot, very close to the extreme right and who in the past was already condemned for racial hatred.
Although he apologized to the inhabitants of La Reunion, he justified his words by the “tragic fate” of the island’s animals, a “nonsense”, for Axel Vardin, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers.
“Talk about reminiscences of cannibalism. This is in fact reminiscent of a colonialist thought ”, assured during the Vardin trial. His words are “hurtful,” added the prosecutor.
For her defense attorney, Catherine Moissonier, defending animals “is the life of Brigitte Bardot.” The anguish of the animals “is a reality in La Reunion,” added the lawyer.
Bardot, jaded by the wear and tear of glory and the persecution of the paparazzi, decided in 1973, at the age of 38, to end her career and dedicate herself, since then, to her second life: the animal cause. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
