Olympic Games in Paris: Police investigate insults against DJ at the opening ceremony

DER SPIEGEL Olympic Games in Paris: Police investigate insults against DJ at the opening ceremony 6 hours • 2 minutes reading time Bishops protested and even Donald Trump spoke out: The alleged Last Supper performance by a DJ at the opening of the Olympic Games caused outrage. The artist is now defending herself against hate messages. A blue Dionysus on a long table, behind it drag performers, dancers and between them a DJ with a halo. Could this be an allusion to the Last Supper? The scene from the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games caused international outrage. The police are now investigating. The DJ Barbara Butch, who was seen in the middle of the table, said she had received a flood of online threats after the controversial scene. A lawyer for Butch told the Associated Press that she had filed a lawsuit alleging online harassment, death threats and insults. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed that it had received the complaint from Butch and has commissioned a police unit specializing in combating hate crimes to investigate. The police investigation will focus on "discriminatory messages based on religion or sexual orientation that were sent to her or posted online," it said. Trump also speaks out The scene at the opening ceremony sparked criticism because it allegedly quoted da Vinci's Last Supper and thereby mocked Christianity. Butch, who describes herself as a "love activist," wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo. Critics saw this as an allusion to Jesus. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides. French Catholic bishops and others had said that Christians had been hurt and insulted by the scene. Donald Trump also spoke out in the United States on Monday. He said he was open, but he considered the scene to be a "disgrace." The organizers of the Olympic Games in Paris said they "never intended to be disrespectful to any religious group" and wanted to "celebrate the tolerance of the community." Unintentional provocation Thomas Jolly, director of the opening ceremony, claims, however, that he was not inspired by Christian symbolism, but by the festivals of Greek mythology. He sees the moment as a celebration of diversity and the table as a tribute to feasting and French gastronomy. "My wish is not to be subversive, to mock or to shock," said Jolly. "Above all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of integration, and by no means a message of division." In a statement of her own, which she posted on Instagram, Butch said: "Whatever some may say, I exist. I have never been ashamed of who I am and I take responsibility for everything - including my artistic choices. All my life I have refused to be a victim: I will not keep quiet." She is committed and proud of who she is. "My France is France!" she wrote.