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RuPaul's Drag Race winner slams Olympics 'hypocrites' over backlash to Last Supper at the 2024 opening ceremony
A former RuPaul’s Drag Race winner has slammed 'hypocrites' leading backlash against a depiction of the Last Summer at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.
Friday's showpiece was branded 'blasphemous' for a banquet scene where an actor playing Greek god Dionysus took centre stage on a table with drag queens, which has been interpreted to resemble Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper painting.
Some religious groups condemned the ceremony, including the Catholic Church in France who said it included 'scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity'.
Now, Hugo Bardin, 33, who won the French version of Drag Race, performs as drag queen Paloma and took part in the performance, criticized the 'absurd and inappropriate' reaction which he attributed to homophobia.
He told Reuters : 'What I find absurd and inappropriate in this controversy is that it's hypocritical... these are paintings that have been reproduced thousands of times
A former RuPaul ’s Drag Race winner has slammed 'hypocrites' leading backlash against a depiction of the Last Summer at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony
Now, Hugo Bardin, who won the French version of Drag Race, performs as drag queen Paloma (pictured) and took part in the performance, criticized the 'absurd and inappropriate' reaction which he attributed to homophobia
'I think the Last Supper is the most reproduced painting in art... this image has been used and reused in a religious context, in a non-religious context.
'What bothers people isn't that we're reproducing this painting - painted by a homosexual by the way – what bothers people is that queer people are reproducing it.'
Adding that he comes from a Catholic family - he said: 'The Christians around me aren't shocked, the Christians who are shocked are the Christians who are homophobic, transphobic, drag-phobic, queer-phobic, who don't want us to be associated with art, who don't want us to be associated with France, with religion
'They want to make us invisible so it's a violent reaction, it's a reaction which is not only reactionary, it's medieval.
'I'm getting messages and I feel like it's the year 1400 and I'm going to be tortured.'
This comes after Paris 2024 organizer Anne Descamps apologized for any offence caused by religious depictions during the opening ceremony.
In a press conference on Sunday, Descamps apologised for any offence caused and insisted that the ceremony intended to 'celebrate community tolerance'.
'Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,' she said. On the contrary, I think Thomas Jolly did try to intend to celebrate community tolerance. We believe this ambition was achieved, if people have taken any offence, we of course are really sorry.'
A singing performer painted blue depicted the Greek god Dionysus during Friday's ceremony
Viewers took to X to lambast the parody of a religious scene
He said: 'What bothers people isn't that we're reproducing this painting - painted by a homosexual by the way – what bothers people is that queer people are reproducing it'
This comes after Paris 2024 organizer Anne Descamps apologized for any offence caused by religious depictions during the opening ceremony
Reverend Benjamin Cremer shared a post saying that the scene in the opening ceremony was referencing a different painting and not the Last Supper
The International Olympic Committee later said in a statement: 'The IOC has taken note of and welcomes the clarification given by the Paris 2024 Organising Committee regarding the Opening Ceremony.
'In the daily press briefing, the Organising Committee said that there was never any intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief.
'They reiterated that their intention with the Opening Ceremony was always to celebrate community and tolerance. The Organising Committee also said that if anyone was offended by certain scenes, this was completely unintentional and they were sorry.'
Sunday's apology came after thousands of social media users threatened to boycott the Paris Games because of the opening ceremony.
Enraged viewers took to X (formely Twitter) where '#boycottOlympics' and '#boycottParis2024' were seen trending over the course of the following day.
The appearance of a 'naked blue man' among a scene likened to the Last Supper angered many watching, especially Christians.
One wrote: 'What a disgraceful opening to the 2024 Olympics #BoycottOlympics.'
Another declared they 'didn't even care about the Olympics' but were now '100 per cent boycotting'.