Bardot racism conviction upheld

Bardot has been convicted three times for incitement

Former French film star Brigitte Bardot has failed to overturn a conviction for inciting racial hatred against Muslims.

The actress-turned-animal rights campaigner was prosecuted over her article called Open Letter to My Lost France.

Bardot wrote: "...my country, France, my homeland, my land is again invaded by an overpopulation of foreigners, especially Muslims."

A French court fined her 30,000 francs (£3,000) in June 2000 for the comments, which were published in 1999 in her book Le Carre de Pluton (Pluto's Square).

Her article also strongly criticised the Islamic ritual of slaughtering sheep at festival time.

Her conviction was upheld by the French appeals court on Thursday.

Sex symbol

Bardot, who became an international sex symbol in 1956 after starring in the film And God Created Woman, has been convicted three times for inciting racial hatred.

The same text was first published in Le Figaro newspaper in 1997 for which she was fined.

Her next conviction came in 1998 for comments about the growing number of mosques "while our church-bells fall silent for want of priests".

Bardot's animal rights work has led her to forge a partnership with Bucharest mayor Traian Basescu to help save stray dogs.

She has donated more than $140,000 (£98,530) over two years for a mass sterilisation and adoption programme for the Romanian city's strays, estimated to number 300,000.