Olympics Opening Ceremony Director Says Was Not Out “To Mock Or Shock”

Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of Paris’ grandiose Olympics opening ceremony, has defended the show in the face of a backlash and accusations of “wokeism” and mocking Christianity.

Jolly told an official Olympics press conference on Saturday that his intention had not been “to be subversive, mock or shock.”

His intention was rather, he said, to capture France in all its diversity.

“My will is to say we are an immense ‘we’,” he said, adding: “In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want, with whoever we want, in France we have the right to believe and not to believe. In France, we have many rights.”

The extravagant four-hour opening ceremony unfolded and was inspired by a six kilometer (4.5 mile) stretch of the River Seine running through the heart of Paris.

In a series of 12 tableaux capturing the French spirit, Jolly and his collaborators ran riot with French cultural and historical references, juxtaposing tradition and modernity, and embracing diversity and inclusion.

This blend has not gone down well in some quarters, even if the ceremony has been mainly applauded in France.

One scene in which a group of drag queens including Nicky Doll and stars of Drag Race France sat along a fashion catwalk in a configuration that appeared to mimic Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper has drawn particular ire.

Devoutly Christian NFL player Harrison Butker suggested the tableau was mocking God, while far-right French politician Marion Maréchal put out a post in English on X addressed “to all Christians who felt insulted” by the sketch saying it was not representative of her idea of France.

Maréchal also criticized top-selling, singer-song writer Aya Nakamura’s jubilant act in front of the hallowed Académie Française (the lofty institution preserving the French language), with the military band of the Republican Guard.

The latter appeared to have relished the experience given footage that was released afterwards.