Canadian pop-punker Avril Lavigne yesterday issued a public apology for spitting on paparazzi photographers and using profane language toward autograph-seekers.

The various incidents occurred on back-to-back nights, last Tuesday and Wednesday, outside the same nightclub in Hollywood. On Wednesday, Lavigne was on the town celebrating her 22nd birthday.

"I'd like to sincerely apologize for my behaviour with the paparazzi," Lavigne said yesterday in a statement, which was distributed by her record company, Sony BMG.

"It's trying at best dealing with their insistent intrusions. I meant no offence to my fans, whose relationship I truly value. I have and will always go out of my way for my fans. My behaviour was a reaction to the persistent attack from the paparazzi."

Hmmm, so it's kind of a non-apology apology, huh?

Video evidence from both nights appears at the website tmz.com.

Upon leaving the club on Wednesday, Lavigne greeted photographers and fans with several utterances of "f--- you," and even signed some autographs with those very words.

As this was going on, her husband, Deryck Whibley of Canadian rock band Sum 41, approvingly screamed, "Yeah!"

After getting into her vehicle, Lavigne rolled down the window and spat into a photographer's face while laughing, making obscene gestures and screaming, "Bitch!"

On Tuesday, after photographers had snapped some shots of Lavigne getting into her vehicle, she called a photog over to the window and spat, hitting his camera lens.

Lavigne's albums Let Go (2002) and Under My Skin (2004) topped the charts.

Her third CD is scheduled to be released in early 2007.