One scene imitated the Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, but it caused anger among many viewers.
The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games has sparked a furious backlash from Christian viewers around the world, even causing a big sponsor to pull out.
Mississippi-based telecommunications and technology company C Spire released a statement on X confirming it has pulled its ads for the Olympics.
This came after a moment in the ceremony where a well-known painting was mocked.
C Spire said: “We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympic.”
One scene that received a big reaction from viewers involved drag queens and other performers recreating Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’.
Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, said: “I am proud to see the private sector in Mississippi put their foot down. God will not be mocked. C Spire drew a common-sense, appropriate line.”
Social media users also took to X to voice their anger.
One said: “There are over 2 billion Christians around the world and many love to watch the games. Why would you make fun and open with that?”
Another said: “Gaga’s Olympics performance was the worst I’ve seen since Britney’s MTV show in 2007. It was the equivalent of defecating on [the] French flag. She insulted America, insulted France, and has no shame whatsoever.”
A third added: “I’m actually embarrassed on behalf of France, this is going down as the worst opening ceremony in history.”
The Opening Ceremony also caused controversy in France. Far-right politician Marion Maréchal: “To all the Christians of the world who are watching the Paris 2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking, but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation.”
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, addressed the criticism after the ceremony, saying it was not his intention to offend anyone.
He said: “Our idea was inclusion. Naturally, when we want to include everyone and not exclude anyone, questions are raised.
“Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together.
“We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country.
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