Police investigate death threats against Paris Olympics opening ceremony director
Authorities in Paris have launched a hate speech investigation after the Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly filed a complaint, alleging he was the subject of death threats.
Jolly filed the complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office Tuesday, four days after the opening ceremony. In the complaint, he said he had been defamed and endured “public insults."
France’s Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes will lead the investigation, as the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement that Jolly is “the target of threatening messages and insults on social networks criticizing his sexual orientation and his wrongly-assumed Israeli roots.”
The opening ceremony has been a source of controversy and scrutiny, featuring scenes of drag queens and another homage to a festival honoring the Greek god Dionysus that many thought was a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting "The Last Supper."
The online backlash caused organizers of the 2024 Paris Games to apologize earlier this week.
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"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. (The opening ceremony) tried to celebrate community tolerance," Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said. "We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry."
Barbara Butch, a French disc jockey who performed during the drag queen scene, also filed a complaint, saying she has received death threats and social media abuse.
"On behalf of the City of Paris and in my own name, I would like to extend my unwavering support to Thomas Jolly in the aftermath of the threats and harassment he has been subjected to in recent days, which have led him to lodge a complaint," Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said in a statement. "During the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly carried our values high. Paris was proud and honored to count on his talent to celebrate our city and tell the world what we are all about.
"Yesterday, today and tomorrow, Paris will always stand by artists, creation and freedom. "