Friday’s opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics was met with harsh criticism, especially from Christian viewers.
Most infamously, the opening featured a recreation of Leonardo Da Vinci’s depiction of Jesus’s last supper with his disciples.
The ceremony’s depiction featured drag queens, an obese, lesbian activist as Jesus and a dancing — seemingly naked — man painted blue.
The ceremony was full of various other heinous and unsettling imagery. This included occult symbolism and imagery supportive of the incredibly violent, anti-religious French Revolution of the late 18th century, as reported by Evie Magazine.
One question has likely come to the forefront of many critics’ minds: Who is behind this display of anti-Christian sentiment?
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Simply put, the persons and organizations chosen to organize the ceremony share long histories of political activism.
Artistic Director Thomas Jolly
In late 2022, the Paris Olympic organizing committee announced who it had tapped to direct the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies: Thomas Jolly.
A queer French actor and director, Jolly is most well known for founding a theater company, La Piccola Familia.
It seems Jolly views artistic presentation as a political exercise.
According to the theater’s biography page on the Festival D’Avignon’s website, the organization uses its plays to “reiterate the political role of the theater, its mission as a public utility.”
Exhibition Magazine described his adaption of Henry VI as an “inclusive, rock-n-roll vision of Shakespeare.”
As reported by The U.S. Sun, Jolly wanted to make the Opening Ceremony reflective of “queer” and “diverse” athletes participating in the Games.
Blasphemous “Last Supper” Performer: Barbara Butch
According to the BBC, the large woman at the center of the blasphemous drag queen recreation of “The Last Supper” (playing the role of Jesus) was Barbara Butch.
Butch is a “LGBTQ+ icon in Paris,” according to The Jewish Chronicle, and is also a lesbian activist.
Notably, Butch posted a since-deleted picture to her Instagram account of the Olympic “Last Supper” scene next to Da Vinci’s original painting, along with a caption reading “Oh Yes! Oh Yes! The New Gay Testament,” as reported by The New York Post.
Corporate Backer: DEI-Friendly LVMH
The opening ceremony received outside funding from at least one corporate backer: luxury goods company LVMH.
LVMH was founded when Moët Hennessy and Louis Vuitton merged in 1987.
According to Forbes, the company made roughly $83.2 billion in revenue in 2023.
On its website, the multi-billion dollar corporation boasts of promoting highly partisan and controversial DEI and ESG standards and practices.
In a Friday news release, LVMH announced how “proud” it was to have “contributed to the extraordinary magic of the opening ceremony.”
“To bring this exceptional contribution to life, LVMH called on the remarkable talent of its artisans and teams, who worked hand in hand with Paris 2024, applying their passion and creativity to once again make LVMH the Artisan of All Victories,” the release read.
