Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Olympics opening ceremony, is working with the prosecutors' office in Paris after suffering a torrent of "public insults".
His claim was filed on Tuesday. Speaking on behalf of Jolly, the office released a statement claiming Jolly was "the target of threatening messages and insults on social networks criticizing his sexual orientation and his wrongly assumed Israeli roots."
Jolly is a 42-year-old stage director tasked with organizing the opening ceremony on the Seine. He comes from a theater background with a history of directing some of the biggest plays in France .
His opening ceremony featured French drag performers represented prominently and drew some flack for a controversial scene many claimed defamed "The Last Supper", the famous painting by Leonardo di Vinici.
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“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said . “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”
The parallels to the famous painting drew criticism from many Christian advocates and politicians from the far-right all around the world. US Presidential candidate Donald Trump was asked about the opening ceremony in a recent interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News. "I'm very open-minded, but I thought what they did was a disgrace," he said.
Turkish President Recap Tayyip Erdogan, a devout Muslim and longtime defender of Islamic causes worldwide, called the ceremony "immorality against all Christians". However, many have been quick to defend and protect the much-maligned Jolly from further abuse. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo pledged her "unwavering support" for Jolly.
Speaking to French outlet AFP, the Olympics affirmed that "Paris 2024 gives its full support to Thomas Jolly as well as the creators and artists of the opening ceremony in light of the attacks against them".
DJ Barbara Butch was also present during the opening ceremonies and faced her own wave of abuse following the ceremony. Butch, who's a prominent LGBTQ+ French DJ, wore headgear resembling Jesus Christ's in The Last Supper.
Piche, one of the Drag Queens from the show, emphasized how representation should be the biggest takeaway from the ceremony: "I'm really happy that queer people were able to be represented in this show.
"There was no moment that the idea of offending someone or a religion was on somebody's mind. It was just a joyful, happy pop culture moment that most of the planet felt."
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