Opening ceremony controversy leads to FCC complaint and legal action

A French DJ involved in the controversy over Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony has filed a legal complaint over how she’s being treated online, according to The Associated Press.

French prosecutors have asked the police to investigate DJ Barbara Butch’s allegations of online harassment, including death threats, the article said.

The DJ played a starring role in one of the most talked about parts of the opening ceremony: a parody of a famous painting that, depending on whom you ask, was either Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” or a Greek bacchanal.

The opening ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, has denied that he was referencing “The Last Supper,” but also expressed regret about causing offense.

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly told The Associated Press. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

Legal complaint from DJ Barbara Butch

As religious leaders and others pushed back against what they felt were problematic religious references in the opening ceremony, Butch, who is an LGBTQ icon in France, claims that she became the target of intense online abuse.

“A lawyer for Butch told The Associated Press that she had filed a formal legal complaint alleging online harassment, death threats, and insults. The lawyer, Audrey Msellati, said the complaint doesn’t name any specific perpetrator or perpetrators of the alleged crimes,” The Associated Press reported.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the DJ said that she remains proud of being part of the opening ceremony, despite the controversy.

“My heart is still full of joy,” she wrote.

FCC complaint over opening ceremony

As French authorities deal with the fallout from the opening ceremony controversy, NBC, which is airing the Olympics in the United States, is dealing with pushback of its own.

An organization called Judicial Watch has filed an FCC complaint against NBC for airing what it believes was “obscene and indecent content” during Friday’s coverage of the opening ceremony.

“To make matters worse, (this content) was aired during viewing hours when it was likely seen by millions of children and minors,” Judicial Watch’s statement on the complaint says.