PARIS: Paris prosecutors on Friday said that police has launched a hate speech investigation after a complaint by Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly over death threats.
The Paris prosecutor’s office in a statement said that Jolly filed a police complaint on Tuesday, four days after the opening ceremony, for death threats, defamation and public insults.
Jolly said he has been targeted through threatening messages and insults on social networks and condemning his sexual orientation and his wrongly-assumed Israeli roots. France’s Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes is investigating the matter.
Jolly’s complaint comes after the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony triggered a storm of outrage, including angry remarks from Donald Trump, in the wake of a contentious scene featuring drag queens and other performers.
Although Jolly has stated that he did not make a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.
Barbara Butch, a popular DJ who performed in the show, also said she suffered a series of online threats. Butch has also filed a complaint with the police alleging online abuse and harassment.
