Bardot's Illegal Contempt

Brigitte Bardot, convicted again:

A Paris court also handed down a $23,325 fine against the former screen siren and animal rights campaigner. The court also ordered Bardot to pay $1,555 in damages to MRAP.

[…]

A leading French anti-racism group known as MRAP filed a lawsuit last year over a letter she sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. The remarks were published in her foundation's quarterly journal.

In the December 2006 letter to Sarkozy, now the president, Bardot said France is "tired of being led by the nose by this population that is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing its acts."

Bardot, 73, was referring to the Muslim feast of Aid el-Kebir, celebrated by slaughtering sheep

This is, if my count is correct, the fifth time Mme. Bardot has been convicted of "hate speech" in France. She was previously fined for telling Le Figaro in 1999 that "my country, France, my homeland, my land is again invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims" and writing in her autobiography of an impending "Islamisation of France."

reason on "hate speech" and "hate crimes."

Comments

[Episiarch]

Bah, she's 73. I'm finding it difficult to get worked up this morning about freedom of speech violations in Europe unless they involve very hot women who are still, you know, hot. Sue me.

[Bingo]

Religion, animal rights, freedom of speech, and a semi-nude woman with a guitar. Potential for the biggest thread of the day!

[Alan Vanneman]

Three words, Mike: Lose the guitar.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

It's a fucked up stupid law. This is PC run amok. Jesus, she just said words.

[robc]

WWCMD

[Art-P.O.G.]

Yes, sometimes we take PC too far in the states. That being said, the next time some American whines about suppression of free speech or excessive PC(when their complaint is illegitimate or minor), I'll kindly direct them to this garbage. And France is one of the leaders of the free world.

[joe]

Looks like the right has its useful idiots, too.

[Taktix®]

joe,

Before you get lambasted below, let me just remind you that, unlike the U.S., many European countries are strongly nativist, and this kind of shit is common on both sides of the left-right, generally-false dichotomy...

[Steve]

Looks like the right has its useful idiots, too.

What does that even mean? Are you talking about Sarkozy or the Conservative Muslims? or MRAP?
I'm looking at this issue and i really don't see "right" or "left", i'm seeing religious zealots, free speech being squashed by an overbearing state, and an animal right activist who's nationalistic.

That's the probelm with Left vs Right these days, it rarely seems so black and white...

[Soda]

For Bardot:
Animal Rights > Religious freedom

For France:
Religious freedom > Freedom of expression

Both wrong.

[Episiarch]

She seems more like an all-purpose idiot, joe. Animal rights maniac, nativist jerkweed, making strange, schizophrenic comments about gays; she's a kook.

When are the young, hot kook-ettes going to get themselves in the news? We need a new generation.

[Reinmoose]

Wow
They would never let Lou Dobbs out of prison

[Soda]

Actually the "For France" part of my last post is incorrect. It really should be:

Protection from being offended > Freedom of speech

[sexist realist]

Mike, the picture you used is prefered to the ugly reality pictures in the real article.

[Robert]

If what Moynihan wrote about the previous fines is correct, than it sure doesn't take much! Just describing demographic changes as in some way undesirable, or maybe even merely pointing them out?

[joe]

Steve, Episiarch, Taktix,

The term "useful idiots" was coined by the Soviets, to refer to people who were not on board with Bolshevik Communism, but who allowed their political activism in unrelated spheres - racial equality, anti-war, gender equality - to be appropriated by the communist movement for its own purposes.

That's exactly what Bardot is doing here - in a nation that kills and consumes millions of cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, pigs, snails, and whatnot every year, she's singling our Muslim immigrants for censure, on the grounds that they kill animals. She's allowed her animal-rights activism to be hijacked by her country's xenophobic, anti-Muslim right.

[Reinmoose]

In France there are still instances of Jews getting assaulted just because of their religion, and clearly a lot of volitility in the poor Islamic suburbs. They take this very seriously because they think it is the only way you can keep the country from spiraling into riots and the like. French people are very quick to hold protests and strike.

They clearly think that suppression of thought is more integral to reducing political unrest than prosperity is. They apparently think they can systematically ignore the Muslims as long as they don't say mean things about them.

[John]

I don't care if she is a nutcase. Free speech is free speech. I don't see how any right thinking person could not be on Bardot's side in this.

[tarran]

Ah,

So you're saying she's a useful idiot for the (nativist) right.

That makes more sense. 🙂

One cavear, leftists can be nativists too. It's far less common since it does not jibe well with egalitarianism. But it does happen.

[Episiarch]

Her husband Bernard d'Ormal is a former adviser of the far right "Front National" party.

I don't think she's a useful idiot, I think she's a wholesale nativist and knows exactly what she's doing.

[joe]

I don't see how any right thinking person could not be on Bardot's side in this

"In this" being the operative term.

If you find anybody who doesn't support Bardot "in this," you let us know.

[MP]

her country's xenophobic, anti-Muslim right.

Has the European left really rejected the openly xenophobic positions on the European right? Or is it really more like this country, where the left says "well, we want to kick them out too, but we want to be nicer about it than Tom Tancredo".

[P Brooks]

The French are an overly emotional, childlike race, and must be kept on a tight leash, lest France devolve into chaotic depravity and riotousness.

[joe]

That's nonsense, MP.

[Cinlee]

Proving once again that free speech really only applies as long as you're bitching about something or someone that is popular to hate and ridicule.

Practice that free speech against something that is protected by the the world's PC police, and you find yourself bitch-slapped and saddled with nasty labels.

[Joel]

GAH! My eyes!

How did someone that insanely hot become that insanely haglike?

Oh, there was an article? Totally missed that.

[Episiarch]

Has the European left really rejected the openly xenophobic positions on the European right?

From my experience, they also find the Muslims icky, don't want them in their neighborhoods, workplaces, or schools, but their ideology compels them to approach them differently.

The dislike of immigrants is very widespread there and covers all ideological spectra. The differences lie in what they want to do about it and how willing they are to talk about it.

[Cinlee]

Sun damage, Joel. It's brutal on a girl's skin, but it doesn't show up for thirty years or so.

She was gorgeous, though.

[joe]

Has the European left really rejected the openly xenophobic positions on the European right?

Neither "Europe" nor "the European Left" is homogenous enough for that quesiton to have a meaningful answer.

[prolefeed]

bardot sans guitar -- NSFW

[joe]

Episiarch,

I prefer to give someone who was once that hawt the benefit of the doubt.

[R C Dean]

In their prime:

Brigitte Bardot, or Catherine DeNeuve?

Discuss.

[ed]

News flash!
Actors are inconsistent in their views and often say stupid things.

[MP]

That's nonsense, MP.

Give up your illusions, joe. I double-checked the DNC, Obama, and Hillary sites, and all say "Secure our borders" first. They tow the line about restricting immigration to an acceptable level, while never specifying what this level is. They wrap it in "Protect all U.S. workers and their wages & prevent exploitation of immigrant workers" (from the DNC, which properly translated means dey took ur jobs). They all seek stricter employer level "papers please" enforcement. And they all wrap it in some "we place a premium on compassion, respect, and policies that help families" (from Hillary's site) BS.

Neither "Europe" nor "the European Left" is homogenous enough for that quesiton to have a meaningful answer.

That's right. Which is why you calling her a tool of the right shows your bias. She's a tool of the xenophobes, who are neither right nor left.

[Citizen Nothing]

"If you find anybody who doesn't support Bardot "in this," you let us know."

Uh, joe, maybe I misunderstood, but wouldn't that include all the French legislators who cooked up the "hate speech" law and all the other folks who support such laws? Seems like a pretty big group.

[Mark]

Wait, so am i the only one that thinks it's okay that she loves animals, hates religious zealots, is a nativist, and is outspoken about those views despite the state's attempts to censor her?

I don't see any of that as bad. I mean, if a bunch of baptists came into my town, encouraged large scale reproduction and political activism in an attempt to change the laws, customs, and religious affiliation of my town, and punished those who voiced concern about it.

It only seems natural that people would resist such openly hostile moves.

[SugarFree]

DeNeuve all the way.

SFW

[John]

"From my experience, they also find the Muslims icky, don't want them in their neighborhoods, workplaces, or schools, but their ideology compels them to approach them differently."

Exactly. The European left just wants to keep immigrans in their ghettos and let them have sharia law and arranged marraiges and whatever other form of barbarism an be justified in the name of tolerance. Mind you they would never tolerate a European woman being forced to quit school for an arranged marraige at age 12, but a Pakistani woman? Well that is their culture and who are we to judge. The European left looks at Muslim immigrants as some sort of exotic form of animal to be respected and caged.

[John]

"I don't see any of that as bad. I mean, if a bunch of baptists came into my town, encouraged large scale reproduction and political activism in an attempt to change the laws, customs, and religious affiliation of my town, and punished those who voiced concern about it."

If that happened libertarians would be having kittens and saying 100 times worse things about Baptists than Bardot ever said about Muslims. Libertarians don't have much sympathy for Bardot because it is not their country and not their sacred cow being gored.

[Episiarch]

I am getting the idea that NutraSweet places a premium on female looks that are more "cute" than "hot". NTTAWWT.

[John]

"In their prime:

Brigitte Bardot, or Catherine DeNeuve?

Discuss."

Not even close. DeNeuve in a landslide. DeNeuve is still hot and she is like 70 now.

[Cinlee]

No, you're not the only one, Mark. Count me in too. If it were the Baptists doing that people would be flipping their wigs over it.

[BakedPenguin]

John - the specification was "in their prime". Based on that, I'd have to say Bardot > Deneuve just slightly.

However, Bu?uel > Godard. (NSFW).

[MP]

No, you're not the only one, Mark. Count me in too. If it were the Baptists doing that people would be flipping their wigs over it.

A rejection of speech suppression is not an endorsement of the speech being suppressed. Why is it surprising that libertarians are more irritated by the actual use of government force instead of the calls for use of government force?

[Art-P.O.G.]

Nichelle Nichols is about the hottest old woman I've ever seen*, and Pam Grier's a total GILF.

*Shirley Jones and Kieu Chinh, too, actually.

[ed]

OK, now this is getting kinky.

[John]

Penquin,

There is no accounting for taste, but I would take DeNeuve any day. She had class. Bardot was fluzey.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Do you guys think that the French people who are afraid that a sudden surge of foriegn born Muslims will mean that their culture and policies may change in was they find unappealing are crazy or racists? Because I think they're just being sensible.

Islam is often misunderstood and feared foolishly. Many Islamic people are moderate, sensible people. But you don't have to be Donderdo or such to think that a whole lot of Islamic people have deeply held beliefs that are at best a "poor fit" with Western liberal demoractic ideals. If they become 35% of your population (and electorate) with little assimilation time then Jesus that's trouble...

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Oh, and put me down for Bardot, though a three way would make everybody happy I should think (sometimes cooperation is better than competition).

[Mr. Nice Guy]

"That's exactly what Bardot is doing here - in a nation that kills and consumes millions of cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, pigs, snails, and whatnot every year, she's singling our Muslim immigrants for censure, on the grounds that they kill animals."

Is that right joe? I mean, I'm not sure and correct me if I'm wrong, but when Bardot is described as an "animal rights activist" then I assume that she has probably taken some strong and public stands on the treatment of animals by her own people.

And she may find Islam in general, or this practice in particular, to be distinctly awful in her area of concern...That's not neccessarily idiotic...

[T]

If they become 35% of your population (and electorate) with little assimilation time then Jesus that's trouble...

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong on this, but a significant chunk of France's muslim population arrived during and right after the Algerian War. France has been systematically denying assimilation as a possibility for 40 years now. Of course they're having problems. Treat any group as second-class citizens for generations and see what happens.

[Mark]

Do you guys think that the French people who are afraid that a sudden surge of foriegn born Muslims will mean that their culture and policies may change in was they find unappealing are crazy or racists?

Exactly, i mean call me crazy, but it seems more like mass scale colonization...

The native americans were very friendly toward the new arrivals, even helped with the first thanksgiving and all that, good thing they weren't "xenophobes"...

[Mr. Nice Guy]

"but a significant chunk of France's muslim population arrived during and right after the Algerian War."

Yeah, and I should think they were Franco-philes who only wanted what was best for France...

[MP]

The native americans were very friendly toward the new arrivals, even helped with the first thanksgiving and all that, good thing they weren't "xenophobes".

You can't be serious. That's like indicting vegitarianism because the Tyrannosaurus Rex ate Triceratops.

[Warty]

R C Dean | June 3, 2008, 11:42am | #
In their prime:

Brigitte Bardot, or Catherine DeNeuve?

Discuss.

Sophia Loren.

[SugarFree]

Bardot always looked like she would give you crabs and laugh when you complained.

[Episiarch]

Don't take it so personally, NutraSweet. Your past experiences with prostitutes have no bearing here.

[SugarFree]

Fine, you wanna play like that?

In Japan you have to find a vending machine for that kind of service.

[Mark]

That's like indicting vegitarianism because the Tyrannosaurus Rex ate Triceratops.

WTF? Can you explain that analogy as it made no sense to me.

I'm talking about a clash of cultures, one that is freedom loving and one that is strictly authoritarian, when the two collide there are enough of the freedom lovers who will welcome the authoritarians with open arms, either oblivious, unconcerned, or blinded by idealogy. Once the authoritarians have enough strength on their side they smash the freedom lovers, the resistors and the quislings.

sort of like that sci-fi novel (can't think of it's name) where the planet Bakunin (anarcho-capitalist) is attacked by another planet's authoritarian forces, they almost win by hiring Bakunin's own "citizens" as mercenaries...

hope that makes sence.

[Episiarch]

NutraSweet, has your syphilis moved into the dementia stage yet? Because the link you put up is for "Panties for Peace" and has nothing to do with vending machines or Japan.

[Mark]

My apologies for any spelling error/typos.

[T]

Yeah, and I should think they were Franco-philes who only wanted what was best for France...

Alternatively, they were afraid the FLN was going to murder them and foolishly assumed since they had been French citizens since birth, they would receive equal treatment in France.

[Chris Potter]

Do you guys think that the French people who are afraid that a sudden surge of foriegn born Muslims will mean that their culture and policies may change in was they find unappealing are crazy or racists? Because I think they're just being sensible.

It's funny, when I express this attitude about the US immigration issues, I'm denounced as a xenophobe. But I'm glad you're on my side, MNG, against the open-borders majority.

[Mark]

Got it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostile_Takeover_Trilogy

It's a good read, if you're into libertarian space-opera...

[SugarFree]

Epi-

A joke explained...

In Japan you have to buy dirty panties, in Burma you get them free in the mail.

Feminists discussing what it means to be a man. [chortle]

[Episiarch]

If I bothered to understand your joke, how would I continue my string of VD insults towards you? Some people...

[SugarFree]

Fair point, Mr. Poopy Pants.

[Franklin Harris]

DeNeuve past her prime > Bardot in her prime.

[MP]

WTF? Can you explain that analogy as it made no sense to me.

Because you're comparing cross-border immigration issues in the 21st century to the immigration issues of the 17th century, without making any adjustment for the cultural attitudes/values that resulted in the wholesale slaughter of both immigrants and natives.

Or are you saying that simply because there was conflict, it makes sense to compare today's issues to those from 400 years ago?

[joe]

MP,

I double-checked the DNC, Obama, and Hillary sites, and all say "Secure our borders" first. Border security and immigration levels are two completely different issues. Have you never heard the term "high walls, wide gates," or are you just pretending?

They tow the line about restricting immigration to an acceptable level, while never specifying what this level is.

And, in your feverish little mind, this turns into "well, we want to kick them out too, but we want to be nicer about it than Tom Tancredo". BTW, nice quote about "acceptable level." Oh, wait, you didn't provide a quote.

They all seek stricter employer level "papers please" enforcement. While advocating for legalizing immigration, so everyone has the papers.

If you have anything to back up your assertion that the Democrats want to restrict immigration, I'd love to see it, because so far you've provided bupkis.

Which is why you calling her a tool of the right shows your bias. She's a tool of the xenophobes, who are neither right nor left.

You don't know what the National Front is, do you? You know, the party her HUSBAND is an activist for?

[ChrisO]

PC speech laws suck.

As to France and the whole Muslim issue, it's a multi-layered problem. One of the biggest problems (AFAIK) for French Muslim immigrants and their children is that the French economy is a joke and there are few jobs available.

From what I've read, usiness regulations make it difficult for employers to take on new employees for permanent positions, since they can't practically fire them or lay them off afterward. These regulations also harm upward mobility, since more "educated" jobs are often filled through long-term unpaid internships that then morph into paid positions, to create a sort of de facto probationary period and allow firms to get rid of useless idiots during the internship period. The sons and daughters of the elite don't have any problem, since mommy and daddy can support them through the internship phase, but recent immigrants are less likely to have that luxury.

In short, France is such a static, stratified society that immigrants have a much tougher time than they do in this country. If the Algerians and West African immigrants didn't already speak French, I have a feeling they'd try to go somewhere else.

[joe]

Is that right joe? I mean, I'm not sure and correct me if I'm wrong, but when Bardot is described as an "animal rights activist" then I assume that she has probably taken some strong and public stands on the treatment of animals by her own people.

She doesn't describe French culture as the problem. Killing animals is just something bad, that French people do, and she tries to reform that culture. This is not the same line she takes towards Muslims, whose meat-eating ways are a black mark against Islam as a whole.

[brotherben]

Ann Margaret mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[JW]

Ann Margaret mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Rrrrrrooow!

Ursula Andress.
Natalie Wood.
Jane Fonda (urk! Speaking of nutty, but hot)
and a 2nd for Sophia Loren

[Douglas Fletcher]

If I were her I'd make sure the check for the fine bounced. My $23,000 check would bounce, for sure.

[joshua corning]

Has the European left really rejected the openly xenophobic positions on the European right? Or is it really more like this country, where the left says "well, we want to kick them out too, but we want to be nicer about it than Tom Tancredo".

Yes...but they are an even more of a call-everyone-who-disagrees-with-me-a-racist freak show then joe is...my expertise in this comes from emails i exchange with my socialist French ex-girlfriend, Who says Sarkozy is a full blown racist....but i guess i should give her some credit...unlike joe she actually says she is a socialist and not a liberal.

[joshua corning]

Border security and immigration levels are two completely different issues.

Yeah the left wants to restrict individual freedom of everyone regardless of national origin...while the right wants to reform entitlements but fail at it so they go after poor Mexican workers (well only half of the right...the other half hire poor Mexican workers to work for them)

Joe does not believe the free exchange of goods and services is a right so he has no problem with the "search every truck and cargo bin no matter the cost Kerry style" border security.

[every joshua corning post ever]

glargh blargh liberal glargh blargh joe socialist blargh grunt!!!!!

[joe]

Yeah the left wants to restrict individual freedom of everyone regardless of national origin...while the right wants to reform entitlements

And also, their farts smell like tollhouse cookies, and that episode with that other fella in the rest room was all just a big misunderstanding.

[William R]

France will be in a Civil war within 20yrs. The result of not protecting its borders. Islam and individual rights are not a good fit. Islam is political. There just isn't a Muslim majority country that doesn't impose severe restrictions on minorities. Yes even Turkey the so called great Muslim hope is anything but free. VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: No freedom without border patrol

[Adina]

That country that bars offensive speech also bars Muslim girls from wearing hijabs to public school. Its attitude towards free speech and expression is that its free unless other people don't think you should be free to say or express it.

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[Adidas ZX Fluxshoes feast]

The remarks were published in her foundation's quarterly journal.