French prosecutors said Sunday they had opened an investigation into a complaint of death threats filed on Saturday by organisers of the Olympic opening ceremony in the French capital.
The investigation has been entrusted to the Brigade for Combating Crimes against the Person (BRP), the ministry said, confirming information published by the daily Le Parisien.
Prosecutors said other investigations were launched following complaints from the ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, famous “drag queen” Nicky Doll and DJ and feminist activist Barbara Butch.
As reported today by Le Parisien, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, whose scenes have caused controversy around the world, continues to raise a wave in the legal field, aimed above all at the directors of the production company Paname 2024, which conceived and eventually filed a complaint about death threats.
According to the French newspaper, several offensive and hateful letters were received in the company’s mailbox on Thursday.
The messages, which quoted a verse from the Koran, said that “Allah’s punishment will fall on the organizers of Saint-Denis.”
These messages were also sent to the ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, and the company’s senior directors.
According to Le Parisien, the executive director of the Paris 2024 ceremonies, Thierry Reboul, is also expected to file a complaint after receiving similar threats.
Last Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation after Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the Games’ four ceremonies, filed a complaint the day before.
The director explained that he had become “the subject of threatening messages and insults on social media criticizing his sexual orientation and his alleged false Israeli origins.”
The investigation, carried out by the National Unit for Combating Online Hate (PNLH) of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, was also entrusted to the Central Authority for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes (OCLCH).
The complaint contains the following charges: “death threats because of his origin, death threats because of his sexual orientation, public insult because of his origin, public insult because of his sexual orientation and slander.”
Another investigation was launched in Paris yesterday into aggravated cyber-harassment and death threats against French DJ Barbara Butch, a feminist and lesbian activist who was the subject of a controversial painting depicting “transvestites.”
“While the creativity of the ceremony held on July 26 was praised by many viewers, the film, entitled ‘Festivites’, is sparking controversy in conservative and far-right circles both abroad and in France,” writes Le Parisien.
In France, Le Parisien reports, many figures have expressed support for Thomas Jolly, including French President Emmanuel Macron himself, who on Friday said he was “outraged” and “saddened” by the cyber-harassment suffered by the artistic director of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, stressing that “nothing justifies threatening an artist.”
“The French people were very proud of this ceremony. […] France has shown the face of what it is […] “He showed his courage and did it with the appropriate creative freedom,” the head of state added during a visit to the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris to meet with Games volunteers.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.