Barbara Butch, the LGBTQ activist who was the center figure in the controversial “Last Supper” Paris Olympic scene is threatening to sue those criticizing her. Butch played the role (wearing a Christ-like halo) viewed by many as a spoof on Christ in the Last Supper. The creators insist that they were going for a type of “pagan party” of Olympic gods and sent a message of tolerance. Art experts have supported the creators and pointed to paintings that inspired the pagan motif. That is not exactly what was seen by millions of Christians who were deeply insulted by the parody.
The question is not the intent of the creators, but the intent of critics in denouncing the display and its participants.
The threat of legal action would not be especially serious in the United States where opinion is given robust protection in both criminal and civil cases. In France, however, free speech is in a free fall with the left pushing for the censorship and criminalization of an ever-expanding range of political and religious speech.
The ceremony itself had some truly powerful and stunning elements. I enjoyed the mix of music and imagery as well as the effort to show the diversity of France.
However, other elements were more divisive or excessive. For example, the producers decided to use the ceremony to feature such elements as three young people hooking up for a “ménage à trois.” With many families watching with kids, many of us thought the scene was inappropriate for such an event. However, it was the supper scene that led to protests from clerics and critics. While claiming a message of “tolerance,” the scene was taken as yet another slap at religious elements in society.
That is a debate that has continued to rage, particularly on the Internet.
Audrey Msellati, Butch’s attorney, posted a statement on Butch’s Instagram account that the DJ and activist will seek legal action after being “the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation.” She is promising to file “several complaints against these acts.”
Clearly, any direct and intentional threats of violence against Butch should be prosecuted, as they can be prosecuted in the United States. However, the French laws sweep far more broadly in criminalizing opinion and what I have called “rage rhetoric.”
In France, such complaints are often criminal matters. In my new book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I discuss the collapse of free speech rights in France as well as other European countries. This anti-free speech wave has now reached our shores. It has many allies in our own anti-free speech movement. American leaders such as Hillary Clinton have actually enlisted the help of European censors to seek to silence American citizens.
Once the cradle of individual liberty, France long ago became a global leader in the crackdown on free speech.
These laws criminalize speech under vague standards referring to “inciting” or “intimidating” others based on race or religion. For example, fashion designer John Galliano has been found guilty in a French court on charges of making anti-Semitic comments against at least three people in a Paris bar. At his sentencing, Judge Anne Marie Sauteraud read out a list of the bad words used by Galliano to Geraldine Bloch and Philippe Virgitti, including using ‘dirty whore” in criticism.
In another case, the father of French conservative presidential candidate Marine Le Pen was fined because he had called people from the Roma minority “smelly.” A French teenager was charged for criticizing Islam as a “religion of hate.”
I also wrote earlier about the prosecution of famous actress Brigitte Bardot for saying in 2006 that Muslims were ruining France in a letter to then-Interior Minister (and later President) Nicolas Sarkozy. Bardot, an animal rights activist, was repeatedly hit with such criminal complaints for criticizing different groups.
While wildly popular with many in Congress, French President Emmanuel Macron has consistently worked against free speech rights.
That is why the homage in the Olympics to Liberté rang hollow for many of us in the free speech community. The French leaders have long been hypocritical in claiming to support free speech, such as marching in support of the Charles Hebdo magazine after the massacre after cracking down on its editors and writers.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, clearly wanted to be provocative in these scenes. He succeeded. Clearly, such provocative elements will spur debate and discussion, including heated opinions. Use of criminal sanctions for those expressing opinion would make a mockery of the display of fealty to French liberties that Jolly features in his ceremony.
Looking at Barbara Butch I’m thinking they should rename it “The Ozempics”
*LORETTA
Very penny. Mr. Jolly chose to be be Penny, too. Butch has a sun nimbus. The subconscious does know the difference between sun and son. The ambiguity doesn’t delete the son of God, Mr. Jolly, even if you can deceptively claim Appollo.
Disgraceful. Wrong venue but the gods have blessed your Olympics
With gender confusion.
*LORETTA
*replace Penny with punny. Very punny.
To complete the reading of the iconography, the sun/son: the son is setting atop Ms Butch’s head. Christianity is going down but Mr. Jolly the correct reading is the son has risen.
The Dionyssius feast isn’t the main event although deceptive.
*LORETTA
It’s important to recognize even in this skit the importance of all life. Mr. Jolly is also making a statement that lgbtq lives matter and are not sent to Hell by anyone. They are not to be hated, abused nor thrown from windows, stoned or murdered. God made the sun to shine upon all life.
It is equally important for XX women to speak of their importance and freedom in every way to speak, to move, to be with autonomy as XY attempts to infringe those freedoms. It’s an imperative as women move forward away from shrouds, veils, pregnancies, and as a mere subject of the household. They may need to fight for it. Women must be empowered with the freedom to speak of abuse.
Children and innocence is to be preserved and the criticism of this skit is just that. The venue is inappropriate and must be recognized.
As to France and the display, all people are safe in France . Give some thought to the principle of innocence and children.
Butch, the disgusting, morbidly obese gay leftist tool in the middle of that blasphemous photo is doing what all good leftists do when they know they did something they shouldn’t have….go right on offense. They immediately take the “I’m the real victim here!!” approach because leftists have a palpable level of arrogance and condescension. She can lie all she wants as she looks for the next cheeseburger buffet, but they were parodying the blessed Lord’s supper, suggesting He and his disciples were sexual deviants – like them. Why the olympics would even allow any ‘gay’ event to be part of this athletic event is beyond comprehension.
Debunking Lie 1: “The unintended parody of the biblical scene performed, was actually intended to interpret Dionysus”
1- The creators insist that they were going for a type of “pagan party” of Olympic gods and sent a message of tolerance.
2- The idea, Thomas Jolly said, was “more to have a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus, Olympian, Olympianism … You’ll never find in me any kind of wish to mock, to denigrate anything at all. I wanted a ceremony that repairs and reconciles.” Jolly did not name the painting that inspired the tableau
3- Paris Olympics organisers apologise to Christians for unintentional Last Supper parody
– The committee was forced to apologise after the performance caused outrage among Catholics, Christian groups and conservative politicians around the world.
– “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference. “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry.”
Debunking the indefensible
1- If it really was “another scene” a type of “pagan party” of Olympic
They wouldn’t have to clarify anything, it would be obvious that it wouldn’t have caused “confusion” between groups and personalities likes:
* The Catholic church in France
* Monsignor Emmanuel Gobilliard, a delegate of the bishops of France for the Games
* Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the highest-ranking Catholic official in Malta and an official for the Vatican’s powerful doctrinal office
* The Italian bishops’ conference
* Avvenire, the daily Italian newspaper affiliated with the Catholic church
* And the millions of Christians who felt offended around the world (who rarely protest since they tend to be quite tolerant of expressions of mockery directed at religion or Christianity in general)
2- If it really had been “Another pagan painting”, Thomas Jolly I would have clearly named which painting it was
3- It is obvious that if “The Last Supper” had not been performed, the Olympic Committee would not have issued any statement.
And it is even clearer when the statement specifies:
– The organising committee of Paris 2024 has apologised to Catholics and other Christian groups who were outraged “by a scene during the opening ceremony that evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting” with drag queens, a transgender model and a singer made up as the Greek god of wine.
Debunking Lie 2:- [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,”
1- Who defines what and who is tolerant?
For example,
A-) for “Hugo Bardin, whose drag queen character Paloma took part in the tableau, was disappointed Paris 2024 had apologised.
– “An apology means recognising a mistake, recognising you deliberately did something to harm, which was not the case,” he said.
For him, “tolerance” is not a perception, but rather “tolerance” is an imposition of his point of view of what HE PERCEIVES is right.
B-) For others, “tolerance” means accepting blasphemy.
– France has a rich Catholic heritage but also has a long tradition of secularism and anti-clericalism. Blasphemy is legal and considered by many to be an essential pillar of freedom of speech.
2- The point here is that the opening of the Olympic Games is designed for a WORLDWIDE AND DIVERSE AUDIENCE, not just the French.
For me, “Tolerance” means “Respect for the diversity of beliefs, religions and races.” Blasphemy may be accepted in France, but that does not mean that it is not “humiliating” and represents “AN INSULT.”
– And I emphasize again that “THE OPENING OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES” is an event FOR CONSUMPTION BY THE WORLD PUBLIC, not for the exclusive consumption of a French public.
Just one question, what would have happened in France if the protagonist instead of JESUS had been Mohammed?
– We would have to witness another terrorist attack because they were offending their God.
Or is it that since CHRISTIANS ARE NOT TERRORISTS AND ARE TOLERANT they must accept AN OFFENSE TO THEIR GOD AND BELIEF?
– Or as one article rightly points out in Avvenire, the daily Italian newspaper affiliated with the Catholic church, said: “Don’t take us for moralistic bigots, but what’s the point of having to experience every single global event, even a sporting one, as if it were a Gay Pride?”
I read a very accurate comment on Twitter from a member of the LGBT community:
– How can we demand that others respect us, if we are disrespecting others?
The famous phrase of the Mexican politician Benito Juárez was stated on July 15, 1867,
“Respect for the rights of others is peace.”
3- Thomas Jolly, the artistic director behind the flamboyant opening ceremony, said religious subversion had never been his intention.
* “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that,” he said on Saturday.
NO MONSIEUR JOLLY
Diversity DOES NOT MEANS being together.
We wanted to include everyone DOES NOT MEAN Disrespecting a Belief. Including everyone means RESPECTING EVERYONE
Diversity and inclusion DOES NOT MEANS Imposing YOUR IDEA OF DIVERSITY on others
No Monsieur Jolly “the interpretation of the scene being a parody of the Last Supper was unintentional” The parody WAS NOT UNINTENTIONAL . At all times he had the INTENTION OF IMPOSING CHRISTIANITY an IDEOLOGY that mocks and makes fun of their FAITH, and that the majority of them do not share.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/28/paris-olympics-organisers-apologise-to-christians-for-last-supper-parody
The designer said “Yes! Gay New Testament” in an ironic way.
Also, “La Cène Sur Un Scène Sur La Seine” might a rumored title because we don’t know what the acutal name if segment is. Take this with a grain of salt.
The Paris 2024 organizers mentions that Jolly had took inspiration from the painting but we don’t know if he really was inspired by the painting. Again, take it with a grain of salt.
Uh, Barbara Butch had clarified on her IG that she supposed to be the Olympain Music Goddess and the post that stated “Yes! Gay New Testament” was not made by her. This post was made by a costume designer with sarcasm.
Also, even if it was the Last Supper. It was parodied many times and yet, people had no problems with Last Supper parodies.
* SENATOR KEELEY
People are tired of, finished with this entire business. You’ve overstayed your welcome.
It was a failure. It flopped and it is done.
I dare Barbara Butch to make an image on the Prophet Muhammad and post it on line. In case your memory is short, these should help: Charlie Hebdo, “PARIS — A student said he warned his teacher about showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, considered blasphemous by Muslims, days before he was decapitated on a Paris street in what French President Emmanuel Macron called an “Islamist terrorist attack.” And Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who was killed & Two Muslim men charged over alleged plot to kill him, and several others!
Some one should be fired for this, who signed off on this black mark on France’s face?
No one from the French government likely had to sign off on this Olympic Organization ceremony. As the Last Supper Backlash shows, France has become less free with speech. Much less FREE. In Canada, the current PM can wear a Black Face, but a Canadian Citizen cannot, or else.
Class act, France.
It’s the last supper so stop the denial number one. It’s ok to beat up Christians in France. The lgbtq people have been beaten up by Christians forever. That’s one take.
On another level they represent a contingent of Olympus. The Olympics were actual sports events in ancient Greece. Why not invite dionyssius and hermaphrodite? It’s a celebration of the youthful human body and even the gods appreciate them.
A very appropriate venue for the pantheon 😂.
Yes, and where else can a man beat up a woman and get a gold medal for it in boxing. A celebration of misogyny. Wasn’t Medusa and the sisters Phorcides women? You go Perseus! What about those Amazons? Let’s cut the lies there, too. Men beating women. Pass the wine!
New Olympian sport to come—-> a ring of men around a woman throwing stones. The gold medal goes to the man throwing the final blow.
Give me a break. The Last Supper sleaze at the Olympics was not a depiction of a “‘pagan party’ of Olympic gods,” nor was it “a message of tolerance.” It was not a “spoof.” It was a direct and filthy insult to all Christians worldwide, to Catholics in particular. Stop equivocating or pretending it was anything else! Had Barbara Butch insulted Islam in this way, she would now be lying butchered in a Parisian gutter.
Hear hear, Jack Brewster.
Mr. Jolly was a victim of the trickster. He was forced via pride to show the real France. What can one expect from a nation with Oedipus as its president.