Seven Individuals Sentenced for Harassing LGBTQ Olympic Organizer
A Paris court has issued suspended prison terms and fines for seven individuals involved in the cyberbullying of Thomas Jolly, the artistic director responsible for the provocative Last Supper parody during the opening ceremony of the Paris...
TroibNews 
A Paris court has issued suspended prison terms and fines for seven individuals involved in the cyberbullying of Thomas Jolly, the artistic director responsible for the provocative Last Supper parody during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The opening ceremony featured a controversial performance that many viewed as a reinterpretation of Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper,’ incorporating drag queens, LGBTQ+ individuals, a pro-obesity activist portraying Christ, and other elements that sparked widespread outrage.
Christian and Muslim communities globally condemned the show, leading to significant backlash on social media. Following the event, Paname 2024, the production company behind the ceremony, reported that its employees faced online harassment and death threats.
Jolly, who has stated that the scene was not intended as a reference to the ‘Last Supper,’ filed a complaint alleging that he was subjected to “homophobic and anti-semitic threats and insults.”
In October, authorities arrested the seven individuals, including one woman, accused of posting hateful messages against Jolly. Among the derogatory remarks were phrases such as “degenerate Jew,” “slut,” “God will not forget you,” and “you will pay for having disrespected our Lord Jesus Christ.”
On Monday, the Paris Criminal Court found them guilty of “repeated death threats, cyberbullying and aggravated insults based on sexual orientation or real or supposed religious affiliation” directed at Jolly. The court ordered fines ranging from €2,000 to €3,000, imposed suspended prison sentences of two to four months, and mandated that the defendants each pay one euro in damages to the artistic director.
The seven defendants, aged between 22 and 79, are also required to complete a five-day citizenship course as part of their sentencing. Furthermore, the court ruled that the X accounts of two of the offenders would be suspended for six months.
This backlash coincided with widespread criticism of the Olympic opening ceremony from Christian leaders, including the Bishops’ Conference of France, which claimed that the performance “mocked and ridiculed” the faith. The Vatican expressed its sadness over the ceremony, noting that it offended numerous Christians and followers of other faiths.
The Russian Orthodox Church described the performance as representative of a “counterculture of godlessness” emerging in Europe. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow remarked on the “de-cultivation” of moral values and the “downward trajectory of the spiritual-cultural component of Western civilization.”
The uproar following the event ultimately led to the International Olympic Committee issuing an apology and removing the opening ceremony video from its online streaming channels.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
The opening ceremony featured a controversial performance that many viewed as a reinterpretation of Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper,’ incorporating drag queens, LGBTQ+ individuals, a pro-obesity activist portraying Christ, and other elements that sparked widespread outrage.
Christian and Muslim communities globally condemned the show, leading to significant backlash on social media. Following the event, Paname 2024, the production company behind the ceremony, reported that its employees faced online harassment and death threats.
Jolly, who has stated that the scene was not intended as a reference to the ‘Last Supper,’ filed a complaint alleging that he was subjected to “homophobic and anti-semitic threats and insults.”
In October, authorities arrested the seven individuals, including one woman, accused of posting hateful messages against Jolly. Among the derogatory remarks were phrases such as “degenerate Jew,” “slut,” “God will not forget you,” and “you will pay for having disrespected our Lord Jesus Christ.”
On Monday, the Paris Criminal Court found them guilty of “repeated death threats, cyberbullying and aggravated insults based on sexual orientation or real or supposed religious affiliation” directed at Jolly. The court ordered fines ranging from €2,000 to €3,000, imposed suspended prison sentences of two to four months, and mandated that the defendants each pay one euro in damages to the artistic director.
The seven defendants, aged between 22 and 79, are also required to complete a five-day citizenship course as part of their sentencing. Furthermore, the court ruled that the X accounts of two of the offenders would be suspended for six months.
This backlash coincided with widespread criticism of the Olympic opening ceremony from Christian leaders, including the Bishops’ Conference of France, which claimed that the performance “mocked and ridiculed” the faith. The Vatican expressed its sadness over the ceremony, noting that it offended numerous Christians and followers of other faiths.
The Russian Orthodox Church described the performance as representative of a “counterculture of godlessness” emerging in Europe. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow remarked on the “de-cultivation” of moral values and the “downward trajectory of the spiritual-cultural component of Western civilization.”
The uproar following the event ultimately led to the International Olympic Committee issuing an apology and removing the opening ceremony video from its online streaming channels.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
