Organisers of the Paris Olympics apologised on Sunday for any offence caused by the opening ceremony, while denying that they had any intention to ‘show disrespect to any religious group’.
This follows after a scene faced criticism that involved dancers, drag queens and a DJ in ‘poses that recalled depictions of the Last Supper’, as reported by IOL.
The Last Supper is the final meal Jesus is said to have taken with His apostles.
Some Catholic groups and French bishops are among the parties that have condemned what they viewed as ‘scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity’ in the parade on Friday, the 26th of July. The parade was choreographed by theatre director Thomas Jolly.
Paris 2024 spokesperson, Anne Descamps said, “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. If people have taken any offence, we are of course really, really sorry.”
The scene, which was intended to promote ‘tolerance of different sexual and gender identities’, also featured French actor Philippe Katerine, who appeared ‘almost naked and painted blue’ as Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and pleasure.
“The idea was to do a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus. You’ll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone. I wanted a ceremony that brings people together, that reconciles, but also a ceremony that affirms our Republican values of liberty, equality and fraternity,” said Thomas.
Another scene of the ceremony, which has been described as ‘striking’, included a woman holding a bloodied severed head, intended to be that of the executed French queen Marie-Antoinette, which appeared in a window of the Conciergerie.
The Conciergerie was a building where she was imprisoned after the 1789 French Revolution and later guillotined alongside her husband, Louis XVI.
“Certainly we were not glorifying this instrument of death which is the guillotine,” Thomas said.
Meanwhile, Anne stated that Paris 2024 had commissioned a poll from survey group Harris which showed French people were overwhelmingly positive about the opening ceremony.
According to American broadcaster, NBC the procession was ‘the most watched start’ to an Olympics since the London 2012 Olympics.
German broadcaster, ARD also reported it being the most watched in 20 years, according to Mark Adams, International Olympic Committee spokesman.
Compiled by Jan-Hendrik De Villiers
First published by Cape Town etc
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