The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics was sharply criticised by Georgia’s parliamentary leader and religious figures, who argued it underscored the necessity for a proposed law banning queer propaganda.
Friday’s event, set on the River Seine, featured performances by pop musicians, dancers, and drag performers. DJ and producer Barbara Butch, donning a silver halo-like headpiece, hosted a party on a pedestrian bridge over the Seine, flanked by drag performers in a setup that some incorrectly interpreted as a reference to Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
France’s Catholic Church condemned the performance as “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity,” a sentiment echoed by conservative and religious groups worldwide.
Georgia’s parliamentary majority leader, Mamuka Mdinaradze, also criticised the event on Saturday evening, using it to justify the ruling party’s proposed ban on “queer propaganda.” He questioned, “Pseudo-liberals closely followed the opening of the Olympics and still consider it relevant to ask: where did Georgian Dream get this law banning LGBT propaganda?! Is this a relevant topic and a problem today?!”
Last month, the ruling party’s bill on “LGBT Propaganda” passed its first reading in parliament. The bill aims to ban same-sex marriage, legally bar queer individuals from adopting children, prohibit gender-affirming medical treatment, ban legal gender recognition, and restrict “queer propaganda” in media, educational institutions, public gatherings, protests, and workplaces.
Georgian Dream justifies the bill by claiming it protects Georgians, especially minors, from the “propaganda of pseudo-liberal values” prevalent in Western democracies, which the party portrays as a threat to Georgian identity and traditions.
Prominent government supporters, such as filmmaker Goga Khaindrava, made similar criticisms. Khaindrava described the event as a “Satanic ball” and the “Sabbath of evil souls,” suggesting that those supporting the Georgian Charter were “on the road to hell” and “preachers of this global depravity.”
The newly founded United Neutral Georgia movement also condemned the opening ceremony, describing it as an insult to the Christian faith and dominated by LGBTQ+ themes. They suggested that the event reflected an agenda to destroy Christian values in Europe through LGBT propaganda and uncontrolled migration and questioned whether it was in Georgia’s national interest to join the European Union under such conditions.
Shalva Kekelia, leader of the Church of the Transfiguration, called the ceremony an “insult and violation of religious feelings,” accusing the organisers of caricaturing Christianity and suggesting that other religions would not tolerate similar treatment.
Interpretations of the scene varied, with media, observers, and the event’s organisers suggesting that singer Philippe Katerine, who wore a crown of flowers, was representing Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy. Artistic director Thomas Jolly clarified that staging The Last Supper was not his intention, stating, “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together.”
Singer Philippe Katerine expressed pride in the performance, stating, “It’s my culture. We’re full of different people, and everyone lives their own way and, above all, has the right to do so. I loved doing it.”
Paris Olympics spokesperson Anne Descamps apologised if the performance caused any offence, emphasising that the ceremony aimed to celebrate community tolerance.
