Posted on 06/10/2004 10:50:56 AM PDT by Mon
PARIS (Reuters) - French actress-turned-animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot (news) was convicted Thursday of inciting racial hatred and ordered to pay $6,000 -- the fourth such fine for the former sex symbol since 1997.
The Paris court sentenced Bardot, 69, for remarks in her book "A Scream in the Silence," an outspoken attack on gays, immigrants and the jobless that shocked France last year.
In the book, she laments the "Islamization of France" and the "underground and dangerous infiltration of Islam."
"Mme. Bardot presents Muslims as barbaric and cruel invaders, responsible for terrorist acts and eager to dominate the French to the extent of wanting to exterminate them," the court said.
France's 5-million-member Muslim community is the largest in Europe.
Bardot, who was not present for the verdict, denied the charges in a tearful court appearance last month, saying her book did not target Islam or people from North Africa.
She told the court France was going through a period of decadence and said she opposed interracial marriage.
"I was born in 1934, at that time interracial marriage wasn't approved of," she said.
"There are many new languages in the new Europe. Mediocrity is taking over from beauty and splendor. There are many people who are filthy, badly dressed and badly shaven."
In her book, she also attacks homosexuals as "fairground freaks," condemns the presence of women in government and denounces the "scandal of unemployment benefits."
Bardot's attacks on Muslims prompted anti-racism groups to launch legal proceedings against the former star, who turned her back on film after 46 films to concentrate on animal welfare.
Bardot, who in her 1960s heyday was the epitome of French feminine beauty, was fined $3,250 in January 1998 after being convicted of inciting racial hatred in comments about civilian massacres in Algeria.
Four months earlier, a court fined her for saying France was being overrun by sheep-slaughtering Muslims.
Islam is a race? That is like saying Nazis are a race...
A perfect illustration of how much the French respect "human rights" like freedom of speech and belief.
This should give the French pause to reflect.....
Fined for saying the truth? Only in the realms of the idiocy of political correctness...
Ladies and Genetlemen, it won't look much different if the ACLU has its way.
We need her here.
Funny...
The other day, I saw something about Alanis Morrisette saying how happy she was to be Canadian because they don't have censorship up there...
Mark
Sounds like she is smarter than 98% of the French "PC" crowd that is sitting idly by while their civilization is bastardized.
Smart....plus, in her prime, she was a stone fox that I thought I was in love with!
My 4 year old has a t-shirt that says "Dem Pirhana are some fish MON, Dem eat a cow whole MON and don't even care. Some call dem Carribe, I call dem toothy devils. Yeah dem pirhana, dey some bad fish MON. LOL
Sorry to hit you with this kind of shock, but I believe she was only about 22 (right after she made "And God Created Woman") when this pic was taken. And that would be more like 47 years ago.
I know, I tend to unconsciously knock a decade or so off my own age (in my mind's eye) as well.... ;)
I don't know how to load up pics, but I saw a recent one. She still looks great for 69 years old :)
I guess speech isn't free in France. It cost her $3,250 in 1998 and who knows how much in 2004. Sad. Whatever happened to fighting speech with speech?
She cannot say 'There are unshaven people, mediocrity is taking over France?' Coming soon to a town near you... There are worse ways to spend money than paying a fine because you have dared to speak the Truth.
Go Bridget! Apparently she's not JUST an animal rights activist - she's also a people's rights activist, so I'll forgive the animal rights shortcomings.
She's right about that.
You go Babe!!!
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