AFP
The movie star Brigitte Bardot, 87, was convicted on Thursday (4) in France for racist insults, after calling the inhabitants of the French island of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean, natives who “preserved their wild genes”.
A court in Saint-Denis imposed a fine of 20,000 euros (about 128,000 reais on the former actress, in addition to 4,000 euros (about 25,000 reais) on her press officer for complicity.
Bardot, known for her defense of the animal cause, sent a letter in 2019 to the then government delegate on the island, denouncing the “barbarism of the inhabitants of Reunion with animals”.
“The natives kept their genes wild,” wrote the protagonist of ‘And God Created Woman’, who compared Reunion to ‘the devil’s island’, whose ‘degenerate population’ is still ‘imbued’ with ‘barbaric traditions’.
His statements provoked a wave of indignation. The then foreign minister, Annick Girardin, wrote him an open letter to say that “racism is not an opinion, it is a crime.”
A deputy from the left, anti-racist and human rights groups criticized Bardot, who is very close to the far right and who has in the past been condemned for racial hatred.
Although she apologized to the inhabitants of Réunion, she justified her words by the “tragic fate” of the island’s animals, an “absurdity” for Axel Vardin, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers.
“It speaks of reminiscences of cannibalism. In fact, it is reminiscent of colonialist thinking,” Vardin said during the trial. His words are “painful,” he added.
For defense attorney Catherine Moissonier, defending animals “is the life of Brigitte Bardot.” The anguish of animals “is a reality in Reunion,” added the lawyer.
Bardot, tired of the wear and tear of fame 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 passion: the animal cause.
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
