French actress Brigitte Bardot was fined to the tune of €20,000 — approximately $23,100 — for calling native Indian Ocean islanders “savages.”
In 2019, Bardot, who is known for her acting in French projects, wrote a letter referring to the Reunionese — who inhabit the island La Reunion — as “natives who still have savage genes” in response to how they treat animals.
According to the Telegraph, she specifically spoke about the Hindu Tamil population, criticizing them for “sacrificing goats” and using the “cannibalism of past centuries.”
On Thursday, she was fined for racial abuse, according to a report from the publication Le Figaro.
Bruno Jacquelin, her spokesperson, was also fined for sending the letter to media outlets.
This isn’t the first time Bardot has faced legal troubles for allegations of racism. In 2008, the 87-year-old actress was on trial for using racial slurs against Muslim communities after multiple other instances of “inciting racial hatred” — with the latest being her sixth offense.
In response to her statements, former Minister of Overseas Territories Annick Girardin wrote a letter to the actress stating, “Racism is not an opinion, it is a crime,” according to Le Figaro.
