Backlash Over Opening Ceremony Drag Queen Controversy
Vatican Also Criticizes Opening Ceremony as "Regrettable"
Seine River Water Purification Project Faces Heavy Criticism
A performance parodying 'The Last Supper' at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, has sparked controversy by responding with profanity to accusations of religious issues raised after the Paris Olympic opening ceremony performance last month, calling them a conspiracy by far-right forces. Criticism of the performance has spread throughout the Christian community, and public opinion has worsened as even the Vatican, which had previously refrained from official comments, expressed displeasure. Alongside the opening ceremony performance, Hidalgo's forced Seine River water quality improvement project has also been criticized for its ineffectiveness.
Mayor Hidalgo: "Paris is a refuge for LGBT people... We must stop the far-right"
On the 6th (local time), Mayor Hidalgo responded with profanity in an interview with Le Monde regarding the criticism directed at the Paris Olympic opening ceremony performance. She said, "The criticism of the opening ceremony is a message from the far-right," adding, "Far-right forces, reactionaries, and those who oppose just for the sake of opposition can all go to hell," using explicit language. She portrayed the criticism of the opening ceremony performance itself as a political conspiracy by far-right forces to attack the French government and the center-left.
Mayor Hidalgo emphasized, "Paris is a city of all freedoms and a refuge for LGBT people," adding, "Including the opening ceremony, the Olympics have been very successful so far and offer hope amid the rapid rise of far-right forces in France and Europe." She further stated, "I believe that the criticism of the Paris Olympics contains both respect and hatred for the city of Paris."
The controversial opening ceremony performance, held on the Seine River in Paris on the 26th of last month under the name 'Festival,' was a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece 'The Last Supper,' depicting Jesus and the 12 apostles. Drag queen performers took on the roles of the 12 apostles, and instead of Jesus, a woman wearing a crown appeared, provoking strong backlash from Christian communities and conservative groups both inside and outside France.
As the controversy grew, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued an official apology. IOC spokesperson Anne Descamps stated in a press release immediately after the opening ceremony, "There was absolutely no intention to be disrespectful to any religious group. On the contrary, we aimed to show tolerance and community spirit," adding, "If people were offended, we apologize."
Drag Queen Controversy from Opening Ceremony Continues... Vatican Also Criticizes
Contrary to Mayor Hidalgo's dismissal of the criticism as a conspiracy by far-right forces, the controversy has gradually expanded and shows no signs of subsiding. The Vatican, which had refrained from making an official statement on the matter, also expressed displeasure.
Vatican News, the Vatican's official media outlet, stated on the 4th, "The Holy See felt sadness over certain scenes during the Paris Olympic opening ceremony," adding, "We cannot help but join the voices deploring the offense caused to many Christians and followers of other religions in recent days." It strongly criticized, "In a prestigious event where the world gathers to share common values, there should be no insinuations mocking the religious beliefs of many."
The Vatican's direct participation in the criticism is interpreted as reflecting the voices of the Catholic community inside and outside France. On the 27th of last month, the day after the opening ceremony, the French Catholic Bishops' Conference issued a statement saying, "Unfortunately, there were scenes of mockery and derision toward Christianity," and "We think of all Christians on every continent who were hurt by the excesses and provocations of certain scenes."
The German Bishops' Conference also described the Paris Olympic opening ceremony as "impressive," but pointed out that the "queer communion" was "the worst scene and completely unnecessary." Bishop Robert Barron, a prominent American religious figure and Bishop of the Catholic Dioceses of Winona and Rochester in Minnesota, stated, "What else can I see besides this disgusting mockery of The Last Supper?" and insisted, "We Christians and Catholics must resist. We must raise our voices."
Seine River Water Quality Improvement Project Also Faces Criticism... "Private Swimming Allowed Next Year"
On the 17th of last month (local time), Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, personally entered the Seine River to prove that the water quality of the Seine is suitable for swimming. [Image source= AFP·Yonhap News]
Criticism has also been raised regarding the Seine River water quality improvement project pushed forward by Mayor Hidalgo. Despite spending a huge budget to improve water quality, the water remains unsuitable for swimming, leading to the cancellation of many underwater training sessions and even health deterioration among athletes, prompting criticism that the project was forced through recklessly.
On the 6th, the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee announced the complete cancellation of open water swimming training in the Seine River scheduled for that day, citing that the water quality was unsuitable for swimming. This is already the fifth time training schedules in the Seine have been canceled since the Olympics began. The committee explained, "Among samples taken from four locations in the Seine, one exceeded the standard for enterococci, an indicator of fecal contamination," adding, "Samples taken early the previous morning showed E. coli levels ranging from 'good' to 'very good,' but enterococci requires time to culture, so training decisions were based on samples collected on the weekend, the 4th."
The Seine River's water quality has been controversial even before the Olympics. The river has been heavily polluted since 1923, a hundred years ago, leading to a swimming ban. Despite various efforts such as building sewage treatment plants, improvements were not achieved. Ahead of this Olympics, the Paris city government spent 1.5 billion euros (approximately 2.25 trillion won) on large-scale water quality improvement projects, including constructing massive rainwater reservoirs, but the efforts were deemed insufficient. As the controversy grew, Mayor Hidalgo personally jumped into the Seine on the 17th of last month to claim the water was safe, but the controversy has not subsided.
Despite the water quality controversy, three triathlon events?the men's and women's individual races and the mixed relay held the previous day?were all conducted in the Seine. However, athletes who were unable to train properly due to the water quality continued to express dissatisfaction. Athletes participating in the mixed triathlon relay the previous day were notified by the organizing committee that one of four water samples taken that morning exceeded bacterial standards but competed anyway, intensifying the controversy.
The Belgian mixed relay team withdrew for health reasons related to water quality, and some athletes reported abnormal symptoms after the race. Hayden Wilde, a New Zealand triathlete who won the silver medal in the men's event, told New Zealand media, "There was some illness within the team 48 hours after the race," adding, "I also experienced symptoms of E. coli infection."
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