A French DJ and LGBTQ+ rights icon said she has filed police reports over targeted death threats for her participation in a section of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony where comparisons were drawn to Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
During the four-hour ceremony on Friday, drag queens and dancers at one point struck poses along a long table as Barbara Butch DJed in the center. A person painted sparkly blue, singing in French, was resting on a dinner platter in front. Some social media users said the image resembled the portrait of Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles before he was crucified, which became the center of swift backlash.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, French far-right politician Marion Maréchal and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker were among those berating the tableau. “Last night’s mockery of The Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world,” Johnson said on X.
Organizers shared photos of the tableau, noting that it was meant to reference the Greek god Dionysus. The DJ had posted a photo of her headdress before the event with a caption describing her costume as an “OLYMPIAN MUSIC GODDESS.”
On Monday, she said she has faced “an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation” in response to her appearance in the ceremony. In a statement from Audrey Msellati, her attorney, Butch shared on Instagram: “Since the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, artist DJ, and activist Barbara Butch… has been threatened with death, torture and rape, and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic insults.”
Adding, “Barbara Butch condemns this vile hatred directed at her, what she represents, and what she stands for.”
Msellati says that Butch has filed “several complaints” against these acts, whether committed by French nationals or foreigners, and intends to prosecute “anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future.”
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Olympics Opening Ceremony, defended the performance during a news conference on Saturday. When asked about the criticism, he said he wanted to display “inclusion.” Spokesperson Anne Descamps said that “clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group … If people have taken any offense we are really sorry.”
