The Iglesia Catholics and especially some figures from the French far right have criticised several sequences of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, which, on the contrary, have received an enthusiastic welcome from the left and members of Emmanuel Macron’s government.
In a statement on Saturday, the French Episcopal Conference iHe said that the ceremony offered “the whole world wonderful moments of beauty, joy, rich in emotions and universally welcomed,” but at the same time he “deeply” regretted that it included “scenes of mockery and ridicule of Christianity.”
The French bishops remind “all Christians on all continents who have felt hurt by the excessiveness and provocation of certain scenes,” and the message they want to convey to them is that “the Olympic celebration” must be “far above the prejudices of some artists.”
They do not refer to a specific sequence, but It is clear that they are referring to the one entitled “Festivity” and that it was an obvious parody of the last supper of Jesus Christ with his apostles, In this case, they were replaced by drag queens, a trans model and the almost naked singer Philippe Katerine, with some attributes of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and partying.
The complaints have been much more explicit, direct and broad from the far right, which has taken advantage of the opportunity to launch accusations against the French president’s government for, they argue, to propagate the “woke” ideology.
An artist in the firing line of the ultras
MEP Marion Maréchal has criticised the entire opening ceremony in a message on his X account in which he attacks the images of Queen Marie Antoinette decapitated, threesome kisses, drag queens or “the humiliation of the Republican Guard forced to dance with Aya Nakamura.”
Indeed, the Franco-Malian singer has been for months – ever since it was leaked that she could participate in this Olympic show – in the firing line of far-right groups, who denounce the use of an artist of African origin who, in his opinion, does not fit in with French essence.
“This is Paris, not the Bamako market,” It was already the banner that the ultra-right group ‘Los Nativos’ circulated against her in March when it was rumoured that she would do a cover of a song by the French singing legend Edith Piaf.
For far-right leader Marine Le Pen, turning to Aya Nakamura was an attempt by Macron to “humiliate the French people.”
Deputy Laure Lavallette, from Le Pen’s party, he has not refrained on his X account from directly reproaching Macron for the parody of the last dinner that was done with the drag queen number, putting a photo of that sequence in parallel with another of the well-known fresco by Leonardo da Vinci on that subject: “Was it really necessary?”
The left and the government congratulate each other
The opinions have been of a totally opposite sign among the leaders of the left, as the first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, who welcomed the fact that the ceremony had served to put into practice I value the “values of liberty, equality and fraternity, to which have been added sisterhood, parity and inclusion.”
The reactions of members of the Government have also been very complimentary, such as the Minister for Equality, Aurore Bergé, who wanted to highlight the allusions to “our history, our struggles, our energy, our creativity, our diversity, our words, our artists, our athletes, our openness to the world.”
In any case, one scene has brought everyone together: the surprise appearance by Canadian singer Celine Dion, who paid tribute to Edith Piaf and her “Ode to Love,” which has generated unanimous recognition.
The show’s organizers have defended themselves against criticism, claiming that “They did not intend to be subversive, but to show the diversity of France.”
The president of the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet, has stated that It was “a ceremony to show our values and principles, with strong messages of sisterhood and love.”
“The idea,” Estanguet added, “was to send out the strongest possible message.
“We take the international community into account, but it was a French ceremony, in Paris. We have freedom of expression in France and we want to protect it.”
#French #Church #criticise #Olympic #opening #ceremony
2024-07-27 22:29:04
