French President Macron Condemns Harassment of Olympics Opening Ceremony Artistic Director: ‘Nothing Justifies That an Artist Be Threatened’
variety.comElsa Keslassy International Correspondent French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken out in support of Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Olympics’ opening ceremony, who has faced vitriolic criticism from conservatives and has filed a police complaint alleging death threats and cyber harassment.
The Paris prosecutors have launched an investigation into Jolly’s claims, Variety has confirmed. Jolly filed a complaint on July 30, the same day that the DJ of the ceremony, known as Barbara Butch, also filed a complaint for cyber harassment.
While the opening ceremony has been widely praised for its originality and innovation — and is the first in modern history to be hosted outdoors — it has also been the subject of backlash from the Catholic Church as well as from prominent conservative figures like Rob Schneider and Candace Cameron Bure, who objected to a scene which seemed to riff on Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper.” Jolly told French outlet BFMTV over the weekend that the segment was in fact not inspired by “The Last Supper,” and was instead a tribute to Greek mythology, but it has continued to stoke controversy.
While visiting an Olympic site at the Invalides, Macron was quoted by news outlet AFP saying “nothing justifies that an artist be threatened.
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