Olympics opening ceremony director complains of hate speech for his sexual orientation, false Israeli roots

PARIS — Paris prosecutors say that police have opened a hate speech investigation following a complaint by Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly over death threats.

The Paris prosecutor’s office says in a statement that Jolly filed a police complaint on Tuesday, four days after the opening ceremony, for death threats, “public insults” and “defamation.”

Jolly said he has been “the target of threatening messages and insults on social networks criticizing his sexual orientation and his wrongly-assumed Israeli roots,” the statement says. France’s Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes has been charged with the investigation.

Jolly’s complaint comes after the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony prompted a storm of outrage, including angry comments from Donald Trump, in the wake of a contentious scene featuring drag queens and other performers.

Although Jolly has repeatedly said he wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper,” critics interpreted part of the show as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.

Barbara Butch, a popular DJ and LGBTQ+ icon who performed in the show, also said she suffered a torrent of online threats. Butch has filed a complaint alleging online abuse and harassment, which police are also investigating.

Social media influencer Andrew Tate points to a picture of a scene that took place during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony that seemed to evoke Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper,’ during a protest near the French Embassy in Bucharest, Romania, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)