French right-wing figure Eric Sciotti has called on the country to pay tribute to film legend Brigitte Bardot, a move opposed by left-wing political opponents.

“France has a duty to honor Marianne,” Sciotti said. She was referring to the symbol of French freedom that Bardot was chosen to represent in the 1960s.

Badu died on Sunday at the age of 91. The petition launched by Sciorti has attracted more than 23,000 signatures and has the support of some far-right allies.

But Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure pointed out that the national tribute was for “outstanding service to the country”. Faure believed that Bardot was an iconic actress who also “turned her back on republican values.”

Badu was hailed by French President Macron as a “legend of the century” who represented a life of freedom, and Ciotti, leader of the right-wing United Democratic Alliance party, called on him to organize a national farewell event.

Jyoti said France should recognize a woman who brought France extraordinary international recognition and actively helped fight for women’s freedom and abortion rights.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, announced that the city would name an “iconic site” after Badu.

But Bardot is destined to be as controversial in death as she was in life. Faure noted that she had been convicted five times for inciting racial hatred.

Bardot came to prominence in 1956 with “And God Created Woman” and went on to appear in about 50 films.

In 1973, she left the film industry to devote herself to animal welfare and lived for decades at her home in La Madrague, Saint-Tropez, on the French Riviera.

But she is known for her far-right sympathies and her love of animals. Some of her comments were directed at Muslims, while others were insulting to the people of the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

“How cynical is it to be moved by the plight of dolphins but indifferent to the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean?” Green Party MP Sandrine Rousseau asked on social media.

France has different types of national tribute.

Robert Badinter, who abolished the death penalty in France, received a national tribute in a solemn ceremony in 2024, and the singer Charles Aznavour received the same honor in 2018.

A more likely choice for Bardot is A public farewell to rock star Johnny HallidayIn 2017, huge crowds filled the streets of Paris.

Not everyone on the left is opposed to the idea of ​​a national tribute to Bardot.

“Why not? We have done this for other figures, especially Johnny Halliday,” Socialist MP Philippe Brun told French radio. “If the President of the Republic makes a decision, I don’t see why we should oppose it.”

Bardot herself had shunned the spotlight for decades, and close friend Wendy Bouchard said she was not at all interested in medals and ceremonies.

“It may come from a good place, but I’m not sure she would want this kind of national tribute, having lived a simple and poor life,” she told French television.

Journalist Steven Bellery, who interviewed Bardot earlier this year, agreed that she wanted something simpler and more intimate.

Bardot asked to be buried at her Riviera home in La Madrague rather than in a public cemetery, fearing that “a bunch of idiots might damage the graves of my parents and grandparents”.

However, the Saint-Tropez town hall said she would have a private burial in a public cemetery overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and her home.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which works for animal welfare, said her funeral will be held on January 7 at the Assumption Church and will be broadcast on screens across the town.