Paris mayor unleashes series of F-bombs on Olympic opening ceremony critics
globalnews.caParis Mayor Anne Hidalgo did not mince words as she launched into an expletive-filled tirade against those who criticized the Olympic opening ceremony, defending the director and artists who put on the show.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued a sort-of apology to anyone offended by the Games’ opening ceremony, which included strong LGBTQ2 representation and historic themes. Hidalgo, on the other hand, told them to f–k off.
“F–k the reactionaries, f–k this far right, f–k all of those who would like to lock us into a war of all against all,” she said in an interview with Le Monde published Tuesday, notably using the swear word in English.
Religious and political conservatives from around the world decried one segment of the ceremony in particular, where a tableau purportedly evoking Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper featured drag queens and other performers in a configuration reminiscent of Jesus Christ and his apostles.
The French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops labelled the segment “scenes of derision” that they said made a mockery of Christianity — a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The Anglican Communion in Egypt expressed its “deep regret,” saying the ceremony could cause the IOC to “lose its distinctive sporting identity and its humanitarian message.”
Hidalgo, who has been mayor for 10 years, said she’s proud of how Paris was represented to the world in the opening ceremony.
“Paris is the city of all freedoms, the city of refuge for LGBTQI+ people, the city where people live together,” she told Le Monde.
The Socialist Party mayor also said the ceremony and Olympic Games are a hopeful bright spot in an uptick of far-right political sentiment in France
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