Drag Race France winner defends Olympics opening ceremony: ‘We have a place in the world’

A Drag Race France star who took part in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics has said he has no regrets in the face of a continuing backlash.

Right-wing pundits and religious figures have been up in arms over the ceremony, which featured several drag queens and a homage to the Greek god Dionysus, which Christians misinterpreted as a depiction of Christ’s Last Supper – leaving some people to describe the celebrations as “satanic”.

But one of the ceremony’s participants, Hugo Bardin, who performs under the drag queen name Paloma, said he did not regret featuring in the show.

“It was a really important moment for the French people and the representation of France around the world, Bardin told the Associated Press.

The Drag Race France winner said he was happy the ceremony didn’t indulge in stereotypical depictions of French citizens such as the “Parisian with a baguette under their arm”, adding: “It could have been a postcard from 1930. Instead, it was a photograph of France in 2024.”

But the ceremony seems to have inadvertently painted a picture of conservatism in 2024, with right-wing pundits and figureheads, including former US president Donald Trump, branding it a “disgrace.”

One of the DJs involved in the four-hour extravaganza, Barbara Butch, was forced to file police complaints after receiving a barrage of abuse following the four-hour extravaganza.

Her lawyer, Audrey Msellati, said Butch has been the “target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation,” adding that she had been threatened with “death, torture, rape” as well as “antisemitic, homophobic, sexist and grosso-phobic insults”.

Msellati went on to say: “Barbara Butch condemns this vile hatred directed at her, what she represents and what she stands for. Indeed, her commitments and personal values of benevolence, inclusivity and love for others, have always been at the heart of her artistic project: promoting festivities for all, regardless of age, sexual orientation, origin, religion or gender.”

When asked whether he would also file police reports over the harassment he faced, Bardin said he had not considered it yet and preferred to focus on the “loving messages” towards the ceremony.

“We have been accused of trying to impose our vision on the world,” Bardin added. “We are not… we just want to let people know that we have a place in the world, and we are claiming that place.

“My only regrets is people’s reactions. I’m sorry if people are offended but we did not try to parody, to mock The Last Supper. It was not the point. So, I can’t regret what I did.”