Paris Olympics spox apologizes for drag mockery at opening ceremony

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Jul 2024 20:50

The ceremony, held in Paris on Friday, sparked outrage on social media, particularly due to the inclusion of members of the LGBT movement in the mockery.

Listen

Olympic rings are on display in New York on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris. The five interlocking rings - blue, yellow, black, green and red - symbolize five areas of the world involved in the Olympic movement - Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania (AP)

Paris Olympics spokesperson Anne Descamps apologized on Sunday for the insult caused by the drag mockery of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" performed at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

The ceremony, held in Paris on Friday, sparked outrage on social media, particularly due to the inclusion of members of the LGBT movement in the mockery that was seen by many as an insult to Christianity and religions.

It later appeared that footage of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony had been taken down from the Olympics' YouTube account.

"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think [with the ceremony's artistic director] Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance. Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry," Descamps told a press conference.

Drag queens on Friday reenacted Leonardo da Vinci's famous "The Last Supper" painting, sparking anger among Christians all over the world, as the original art piece depicts Jesus Christ's final moments with his disciples.

Le Figaro on Saturday reported that the French episcopate described the event as "outrageous and provocative."

"We would like to thank the representatives of other religious denominations who expressed their solidarity with us," the Office of the French bishops said, according to a statement published by Le Figaro.

"This morning, our thoughts are with all Christians on all continents who have suffered from the outrageous and provocative scenes," the statement stressed.

"We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration goes far beyond the ideological preferences of a few artists," it added.

The French bishops were keen to point out that the ceremony had, however, offered "moments of beauty" and "joy."