In her later years, Brigitte Bardot became a polarizing figure for a series of controversial remarks, some of which resulted in her being fined for inciting racial hatred. Notably, in 2004 Bardot was convicted for comments made about Muslims in her book Un Cri dans le silence (2003; “A Scream in the Silence”), in which she described them as “invaders, cruel and barbaric.” An outspoken animal rights activist, Bardot frequently criticized Muslim practices that involved the ritual killing of animals. In 2008 she was again convicted, this time for a letter to French politician Nicholas Sarkozy condemning Eid al-Adha, an Islamic festival that includes animal sacrifice. She wrote, “I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country and imposing its acts.”
Bardot also drew criticism for homophobic remarks and for expressing opposition to interracial marriages and immigration. In 2018 she attracted attention after dismissing the Me Too movement as “hypocritical, ridiculous, and without interest.” During this time Bardot also supported right-wing politicians, notably backing the National Front’s Marine Le Pen in her unsuccessful presidential bids in 2012 and 2017.