Bardot Convicted of Inciting Racial Hatred

[CatWoman]

PARIS - Brigitte Bardot (news) was convicted Thursday of inciting racial hatred for portraying Muslims in a negative light in a book. The Paris court said the former film star compared them to "invaders, cruel and barbaric."

Bardot and her publishing house, Editions du Rocher, were fined $6,050 each, to be paid to two anti-racism groups that took them to court. She could have been sentenced to a year in jail.

Bardot, 69, also an ardent animal rights campaigner, was not present for the verdict. At a hearing in May, she told the court she never meant to harm anyone with her book, "Un cri dans le silence" (A Cry in the Silence), which topped the nonfiction best-seller lists last year.

"If I did hurt someone, I'm sorry," she said.


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040610/ap_en_ce/france_bardot_trial_2

[rumguy]

1. WTH?

[Sequoia]

2. Too bad AnnThrax can't be sued for the same thing

and her remarks were intentional.

[MikeG]

3. No First Amendment in France.

No place like the good ol' USA, especially when run by Democrats.

[BlackActivist]

8. Definitely

This author is going to generate a lot more sympathy from police state actions like this.

[baldguy]

4. Excuse me, but...

isn't this the same country that banned Muslim girls from wearing head scarfs in school?

[indepat]

5. "And God Created Woman" and: what a woman

[burythehatchet]

6. Sorry Cat - I DUPED ya

I'll add a pic

[NightTrain]

7. A contender for the next Top Ten Conservative Idiots?

Just a thought....

[DivinBreuvage]

9. She should have stabbed a Jewish kid instead

Or at least vandalized a Jewish cemetery. Get with the program, Brigitte!

[Liberal Classic]

10. Thank goodness for the 1st amendment

I can't think of any better publicity than this.

[Zuni]

11. I cannot support prosecuting someone for speaking their mind

The principle of not agreeing, but supporting their right to voice their opinions should be sacrosanct in every democracy.
The 1st Amendment was not meant for popular speech--it was meant to defend unpopular, even repugnant speech from censor.