Clint Eastwood was made a commander in France’s Legion of Honour for his contributions to cinema, reports CBC. French President Nicolas Sarkozy helped celebrate the 79-year-old at an awards ceremony Friday in Paris.
Two years ago, Eastwood was made a knight in the Legion of Honour. He is now at the third level of five for accolades in the Legion.
“I love France, I love movies, and I love the appreciation that the French people have for movies,” Eastwood said.
French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot was fined $23,320 on Tuesday by a French court for inciting racial hatred and discrimination.
Bardot wrote letters to Nicolas Sarkozy, who was then Interior Minister, about Parisian Muslims. Her remarks were also published in her foundations quarterly publication.
In the letter Bardot writes that France is, “tired of being led by the nose by this population that is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing its acts.”
Bardot was making reference to the Muslim festival of Aid el-Kebir, which is celebrated by slaughtering sheep.
In France, it is illegal to incite hatred and discrimination on racial or religious grounds.
MRAP (Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l’Amitié entre les Peuples) a leading French anti-racism group filed the lawsuit against Bardot.
In addition to her fine, Bardot has been ordered to pay MRAP $1, 555 in damages.
This is the fourth time Bardot has been convicted of inciting racial hatred.
