BRIGITTE BARDOT - BARDOT DEFENDS PETA SHOP INVASION

Actress-turned-activist BRIGITTE BARDOT has defended an animal rights group's invasion of JEAN PAUL GAULTIER's Paris boutique, branding the designer an "imbecile". A group of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activists were arrested on Monday (02OCT06) during the French capital's fashion week. They allegedly stormed Gaultier's flagship boutique and doused the designer's windows with red paint in protest of his use of animal fur. However, Bardot, who has set up her own charity to outlaw animal abuses, tells PageSix.com the protest was justified. She said via a spokesperson, "I cannot believe that (Gaultier) is unable to (stop using fur). Only imbeciles do not change opinions."