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PARIS (AP) — As a cheery younker increasing up successful cardinal France, Hugo Bardin ne'er felt he lived successful a world that represented who he was — a world successful which he had a place.
And that is why Bardin, who performs arsenic nan resistance queen Paloma, felt it was meaningful and important to beryllium portion of a Paris Olympics opening ceremony that presented a multifaceted, multiethnic France pinch group of different ethnicities and orientations.
“It was a really important infinitesimal for nan French group and nan practice of France astir nan world,” says Paloma, who took portion successful a azygous segment that has drawn immoderate furious disapproval — including from statesmanlike campaigner Donald Trump successful nan United States, who called it “a disgrace.”
Although nan ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, and different participants person many times said nan segment wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper,” critics interpreted that portion of nan show arsenic a insult of Leonardo Da Vinci’s coating showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.
Paloma, champion known for winning “Drag Race France,” appeared pinch different resistance artists and dancers alongside Barbara Butch, a celebrated DJ who wore a metallic headdress that looked for illustration a halo. Butch has now filed a title alleging online maltreatment and harassment, and Paris constabulary person launched an investigation.
Paloma is not, astatine this point, readying to return ineligible action complete online harassment, and would for illustration to attraction connected nan galore “loving messages” that person been pouring in. The performer has been getting thousands of messages daily, she told The Associated Press, astir of them affirmative but immoderate described arsenic “violent” and moreover “from nan Middle Ages.”
Still, location are nary misgivings, contempt nan backlash. Paloma said she was proud to person been portion of a show that did not trust connected a bid of French cliches — for example, “the Parisian pinch a baguette nether their arm.”
“It could person been a postcard from 1930,” she said of nan ceremony. “But instead, it was a photograph of France successful 2024.”
Many agreed, and praised nan ceremonial for its creativity, style and showmanship.
But French Catholic bishops and others were among those who said Christians had been offended, though Paris Olympics organizers person said location was “never an volition to show disrespect to immoderate belief group” but alternatively to “celebrate organization tolerance.”
Trump was asked connected Fox News what he thought of nan alleged “Last Supper” scene. “I’m very open-minded,” nan erstwhile president and existent Republican nominee told big Laura Ingraham, “but I thought what they did was a disgrace.”
Of Trump’s comments, Paloma said: “My first guidance is to opportunity that if Donald Trump is not reacting, past we person not done our job.”
The criticism, she said, has been fueled by hate. “Where is nan Catholicism, nan Christianity successful that? It is very hypocritical that their connection is not astir belief aliases kindness, it’s astir dislike towards Jews, fat people, queer group and trans people.”
“We person been accused of trying to enforce our imagination connected nan world,” Bardin said. “We are not. ... We conscionable want to fto group cognize that we person a spot successful nan world, and we are claiming that place.”
Paloma said to nan AP successful a telephone question and reply and later astatine her Paris workshop, a workplace devoted to her resistance performance. Bardin debuted nan resistance queen persona immoderate 5 years ago, nan Spanish sanction inspired by nan films of Pedro Almodóvar.
Asked if she had immoderate regrets, Paloma replied: “My only regrets is people’s reactions. I’m sorry if group are offended but we did not effort to parody, to mock ‘The Last Supper.’ It was not nan point. So I can’t regret what I did. I’m sorry for group to only spot things successful a bad way.”
She added: “Maybe alteration nan perspective. Change nan constituent of view. Try to spot nan beauty successful what we did. Because it was conscionable beauty. It was conscionable only astir beauty and reunion, and reparation.”
AP journalists Nicolas Garriga and Amira Borders contributed to this report.