Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French actress turned animal rights activist, was buried on Wednesday after a funeral service in Saint-Tropez attended by far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Bardot died aged 91 at her La Madrague villa on 28 December following a battle with cancer, her husband Bernard d'Ormale confirmed.
The service was held at the Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church and broadcast on large screens across the town. The funeral procession passed through the Place des Lices and by the port of Saint-Tropez, where crowds cheered as Bardot's coffin entered the church to a song by Maria Callas, according to Nice-Matin.
Among the attendees were Bardot's son Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, French singers Jean-Roch and Mireille Mathieu, TV personality Caroline Margeridon, and marine conservation activist Paul Watson. Le Pen, who has cited Bardot as a symbol of Frenchness, was also present. Bardot had previously referred to Le Pen as a modern-day Joan of Arc.
Bardot shot to fame in the 1950s with films such as And God Created Woman and became a symbol of sexual liberation. She retired from acting in the 1970s to focus on animal rights campaigning but also became politically active on the far right, resulting in five convictions for hate speech, particularly against Muslims. She expressed support for Le Pen's anti-immigration National Rally party up until her death.
Bruno Jacquelin, a spokesperson for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, said the ceremony would reflect her character, with surprises but remaining simple as she wished. Bardot's death prompted both tributes and criticism, with Green politician Sandrine Rousseau questioning her concern for animals but indifference to migrant deaths in the Mediterranean.
