Macron defends Olympic opening ceremony creator

Olympic opening ceremony performer Thomas Jolly has received death threats online, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying he is “outraged” by the cyberattacks on him.

DW Edition tellsthat Macron praised Jolly's “courage” and noted that All French people are proud of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris:

“The French are very proud of this ceremony. France demonstrated its audacity with its characteristic artistic freedom.”

The French president added that “Jolly's bold art at the opening ceremony made many people happy.” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also expressed her “unwavering support” for Jolly:

“It was a pride and an honor for Paris to be able to count on his talent, which magnified our city and told the world who we are.”

Thomas Jolly

The Paris prosecutor's office said Jolly had filed a police report for death threats, “public insults” and “defamation”. He said he had been “the subject of threats and insults on social media criticising his sexual orientation” and false suggestions that he was Israeli. The investigation has been entrusted to France's Central Office for Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes.

Barbara Butsch, a French DJ and LGBTQ+ activist who attended the ceremony, also filed a complaint with prosecutors earlier this week over cyberbullying and death threats.

While the opening ceremony received generally positive reviews, the Last Supper-like scene caused rage representatives of the Catholic Church and far-right politicians in France. The scene included drag performers, a transgender model and a naked singer made up to look like Dionysus.

Organizers apologized and said they did not intend to disrespect any religious group. Jolly also said The scene was supposed to depict a pagan festival associated with the gods of Olympus, and not Leonardo da Vinci's painting “The Last Supper” with Jesus Christ and his apostles.

We told you earlier about the mixed reaction world to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris. Some call the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games a unique grand show, others – a provocative spectacle. The reaction to the celebrations was indeed mixed. However, in any case, the spectacle turned out to be bright and unusual.

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