Olympics opening ceremony parody of Last Supper faces backlash

A performance featuring drag queens in an apparent parody of the ‘Last Supper’ at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris has come under severe criticism on social media, especially from the Christian community.

The act featured 18 performers posing behind a long table similarly to how Jesus and his Twelve Apostles are depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the ‘Last Supper’. What grabbed attention was a woman with a large silver headdress that resembled a halo as depicted in paintings of Jesus.

Another act that faced backlash was of a man painted in blue and covered with only a string of flowers and fruit. The act appeared to show he was being served up as a dish for the ‘Last Supper’.

Videos of the performances quickly went viral, with social media users calling it an “insult” to Catholics.

However, organisers said the performance was to raise awareness, in a humoristic way, of the absurdity of violence between human beings, The New York Post reported.

“This is outrageous. Kicking off your event by replacing Jesus and the disciples with men in drag is unacceptable,” Clint Russell, host of the Liberty Lockdown podcast, tweeted.

“With 2.4 billion Christians across the globe, the Olympics has sent a clear message that they are unwelcome,” he further said.

Dr Eli David, an entrepreneur and researcher, commented, “Even as a Jew, I am infuriated by this outrageous insult to Jesus and Christianityâ€æ How do you feel about it as Christians?”

Award-winning broadcaster Niall Boylan said the depiction of the ‘Last Supper’ was blatant disrespect and incitement. “Jesus is portrayed as a woman and the disciples as transvestites. I wonder why they didn’t mock Islam in a similar way,” he said.

However, it was not the only controversial moment to take place during the opening ceremony proceedings. Another act showed three people fondling at France’s national library.

Commenting on it, presenter Beth Fisher wrote, “Only the French could squeeze a three**** into an opening ceremony.”

The event also included a “headless” Marie Antoinette, the last queen consort of France before the French Revolution. Antoinette was famously sentenced to death and beheaded by a guillotine.

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