Following her participation in the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, where mockery towards the Christian faith, comparisons to Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper painting, and minor elements of Greek mythology appeared evident, Barbara Butch, a French DJ and "body positive" LGBTQ+ advocate said that she has now filed police reports regarding targeted threats.
At one point during the four-hour ceremony on Friday, drag queens and other men dressed as women posed around a long table while Butch spun records in the middle. She was situated in the same spot as Jesus was placed in the Biblical painting, while wearing a hat that was reminiscent of a Catholic mitre or halo crown.
In front, resting on a dinner tray, was a glittery person in blue body makeup who was singing in French. Event organizers later said that the blue man was supposed to depict the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine-making, pleasure, and fertility.
Soon after, an outcry from social media users highlighted how the scene was meant to depict and mock the image of Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples right before he was crucified.
Now, after much backlash, those who organized the ceremony are backtracking and claiming that it had nothing to do with the Bible's Last Supper scene.
However, the only issue now is why Ms. Butch posted religious references on social media platforms in relation to the opening ceremony scene, referencing Biblical elements herself. She later deleted the post.
"OH YES! OH YES! THE NEW GAY TESTAMENT!" Butch posted on Instagram, attaching the screenshot image of herself and the other drag queens around the table.
"Barbara Butch, the woman in the center, posted this photo to her instagram, admitting that this photo had everything to do with them mocking the scriptures. She then deleted it a few hours later and called it 'the feast of the Gods,' wrote X user Sarah Fields.
Meanwhile, those criticizing the tableau included GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), French far-right politician Marion Maréchal, and NFL kicker Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Last night's mockery of The Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world," Johnson posted on X (Twitter).
However, on Monday, Butch went on to claim that she has now been facing "an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation" in response to the Olympics opening performance.
"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," said Audrey Msellati, Butch's attorney.
"Barbara Butch condemns this vile hatred directed at her, what she represents, and what she stands for," she added.
The French DJ has now filed "several complaints" against the alleged acts, committed by both French citizens and foreigners. She also said that she intends to prosecute "anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future."
Following the backlash, a spokesperson for the Paris games, Anne Descamps, tried to calm viewers' anger regarding the opening ceremony scene, saying: "Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group ... If people have taken any offense we are really sorry."
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