SAINT-DENIS-DE-LA-REUNION, France: The highest ranking official on the French island of Reunion filed a legal suit against former film star and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot on Wednesday after receiving a letter deemed"racist" by the authorities.
Bardot, now 84, rose to sex symbol status as an actress in the 1950s. She starred in numerous films and was also famous as a singer and fashion model but in recent decades has become better known as an outspoken campaigner for animal welfare.Reunion is an overseas French department in the southern Indian Ocean, to the east of Madagascar, and is known for its volcanoes, coral reefs and rainforest.
"Ordinary racism has no place in the exchange of opinions", France's Minister of Overseas Territories Annick Girardin said on Tuesday, adding that she would add her name to the complaint filed by the island's prefect.