A storm of outrage about the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony has taken a legal turn, with a DJ who performed at the show saying her lawyer is filing complaints over a torrent of threats and other abuse that the LGBTQ+ icon has suffered online in the ceremony's wake.
Barbara Butch's lawyer said in a letter posted to the DJ's Instagram on Tuesday that Butch “has been threatened with death, torture and rape, and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic insults".
Although the ceremony's artistic director Thomas Jolly has repeatedly said that he wasn't inspired by “The Last Supper,” critics interpreted part of the show that featured Butch as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.
Butch, who calls herself a “love activist", wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo as she got a party going during her segment of the show. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides.
French Catholic bishops and others were among those who said Christians had been hurt and offended.
Paris Olympics organisers have said there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group” and that the intent was to “celebrate community tolerance".
Jolly has said he saw the moment as a celebration of diversity, and the table on which Butch spun her tunes as a tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.
“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.”
'Cyber-harassment and defamation'
The statement from Butch's lawyer Audrey Msellati said she is filing several complaints.
Typically, French judicial authorities examine such complaints and determine whether to launch a formal police investigation.
The statement said Butch has been “the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation”.
In a statement of her own, also posted on Instagram, Butch said: “Whatever some may say, I exist. I’ve never been ashamed of who I am, and I take responsibility for everything – including my artistic choices. All my life, I’ve refused to be a victim: I won’t shut up.”
Her lawyer’s statement said legal complaints would be filed regardless of “whether committed by French nationals or foreigners and intends to prosecute anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future”.
She said she “was extremely honoured” to perform in Friday’s ceremony and that her heart was "still full of joy".
“I’m committed, and I’m proud. Proud of who I am, of what I am, and of what I embody, both for my loved ones and for millions of French people. My France is France!” she wrote.
