France Mourns Brigitte Bardot, Forgets Her Five Hate Speech Convictions?
When Brigitte Bardot passed, French officials and much of the media eulogized her as a national treasure, a 'Marianne' figure of French womanhood. What this collective amnesia, however, overlooks are her five convictions for inciting racial hatred against Muslims, dating back to 1997. The French legal system, no less, deemed her public statements—calling Muslim traditions 'barbaric' and Muslims
'invaders'—illegal hate speech. One might wonder if similar leniency would be extended to a public figure without Bardot's celebrity. This selective mourning reveals a deep-seated French discomfort with confronting its own Islamophobia, particularly when dressed up in nationalistic nostalgia. It’s facile to celebrate a symbol while conveniently erasing the very real, legally-adjudicated racism she
propagated. How many convictions does it take before 'icon' gives way to 'problematic figure' in the official narrative? Perhaps the answer depends on who you targeted.