The controversy over the perceived “mockery” of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony has taken a dark turn.
At least one of the artists who performed in that part of Friday’s show has reported receiving online threats and has called on authorities to investigate.
DJ Barbara Butch, seated behind a long table and wearing a silver headdress that resembled a halo, appeared at the center of the tableau. A cast of avant-garde performers, several in drag, lounged around her.
The scene was reminiscent of The Last Supper — a painting of Jesus Christ’s last gathering with his 12 apostles that is housed in Milan, Italy — and it set off a wave of outrage. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called it a “blatant mockery” of the painting. Sen. Mike Lee said it was “an attempt to weaken, cheapen, and demean time-honored symbols of Jesus Christ.” Donald Trump dubbed it “a disgrace.”
Others took it further.
Butch posted on Instagram on Monday that she has received “increasingly violent” online threats. The post was attached to a letter from her lawyer. As of Tuesday morning, the post had received 4,500 comments.
“Through my DJ work and my activism, I’ve always promoted love and inclusivity — for me, this is what will save the world, even when it’s falling apart,” Butch’s post said. “Today, however, I’m the target of yet another — particularly violent — cyber-harassment. Although at first I decided not to speak out to let the haters cool down, the messages I receive are increasingly extreme.”
The statement by lawyer Audrey Msellati posted on Butch’s Instagram page said the artist “intends to prosecute anyone who tries to intimidate her.”
“She has been threatened with death, torture and rape,” the letter says, “and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic insults.
Msellati told The Associated Press she had filed formal legal complaints but had not specified a perpetrator. The Washington Post reported that the Paris prosecutor’s office received Butch’s complaint and was assigning it to a hate crime task force to investigate.
Thomas Jolly, the ceremony’s artistic director, has said the painting was not the inspiration for the scene. Included in a segment entitled “Festivity,” he said it was meant to depict the gluttony of the Greek gods.
“Our aim was not to be subversive,” Jolly said. “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together.”
Anne Descamps, the Paris 2024 communications director, on Tuesday condemned any attack on the Opening Ceremony performers.
“We stand by them and we are giving them our full support,” she said.
“If any people have been offended, it was not intentional,” Descamps added, “and I think everyone should focus on what the artistic designer is saying about his intention. We hope that his clarification will put an end to all this misinterpretation.”
Butch said she remains proud of her part in the ceremony, which drew an estimated 300,000 spectators to the banks of the Seine and the Trocadero. NBC Sports reported it was watched by about 28.6 million people.
“I’m not afraid of those who hide behind a screen, or a pseudonym, to spew their hatred and frustrations,” she wrote. “I will fight them without ever trembling.”