By Ian Sparks French film star Gerard Depardieu has sparked fresh outrage in France by defending Vladimir Putin's clampdown on his opponents and declaring: 'The masses are stupid.' The actor - who recently became a French tax exile and was given a Russian passport - also defended sending the three members of Pussy Riot to a Russian labour camp. And in an extraordinary comparison, he said the trio - who staged an anti-Putin protest in a Moscow church - would have been 'executed' if they had done the same thing in a mosque. Controversial: Gerard Depardieu has spoken out to defend Vladimir Putin's Russian regime
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Actor says punk trio deserve to be in prison camp for cathedral protest
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Criticises Russian opposition saying 'unfortunately, the masses are stupid'
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Depardieu has been slammed in native France after taking Russian passport
Allies: @placeholder arranged for the French actor to be granted Russian citizenship earlier this month