Fact Check: Did Christians protest on Paris streets over Last Supper controversy at Olympics Opening Ceremony? Viral videos debunked

The opening ceremony of the Olympics 2024 in Paris had been receiving backlash from the public. This was followed by claims on social media of massive protests by Christians on Parisian streets. Videos and images of the same are being widely shared. A user tweeted,

"This is how you protest. As a Christian i am so happy to finally see us standing up for Jesus and glorifying his name! Boycott the Olympics."

However, the speculations are untrue and have been debunked.

According to the fake news, a worship service was organized in Paris after the "blasphemic representation" of what appeared to be a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. While several people had reshared the videos, it is important to note that the videos showed gatherings belonging to different timelines.

One of them took place in August 2022 and was originally uploaded by a Facebook user named @catholicdaily. Several other users also shared the video back then. To corroborate it even more, it is to be noted that the video was even posted on the official X page of Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes in 2022.

In another viral video attached below, a group of people could be seen gathering near the Eiffel Towers and reportedly protesting the Olympics opening ceremony act. Newschecker.in reported that the original video was posted in May 2024 from an Instagram account named @jeanluctrachsel.ministries. Thus, the second viral video is put in the wrong context as well, and it had nothing to do with the Olympics.

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Olympics organizers apologized for offending religious sentiments through their opening act

While the organizers apologized for the act that resembled The Last Supper, they insisted that it was not a recreation of the same. CBS News reported that the act was primarily based on The Feast of the Gods, a painting by Dutch artist Jan Harmensz van Biljert, dating back to the 17th century.

The painting showed a gathering of Greek gods on Mount Olympus to celebrate the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. In an interview with France's BFMTV, the act's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said that he didn't base the act on The Last Supper. He added:

"Dionysus arrives at the table because he is the Greek God of celebration. The idea was to create a big pagan party in link with the God of Mount Olympus — and you will never find in me, or in my work, any desire of mocking anyone."

Jolly further added that his intention was to make everyone feel included and not "divided." He also reportedly didn't intend to mock any community or religion through his act. Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps spoke about the bashing during an International Olympic Committee conference on Sunday. Anne said,

"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance."

The Olympic Games posted a tweet through their official account where they mentioned the Greek god Dionysus too. Despite so many clarifications from the Olympics officials and the artistic director himself, conservatives from all over the world had criticized the act severely, with some calling it the "worst opening ceremony."

While protests didn't take place in Paris, in Romania, Andrew Tate and his brother Tritan Tate became part of one that criticized the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The brothers claimed that the event mocked and disrespected Christianity and thus should be "boycotted."

The Olympics 2024 reportedly had a rocky start in Paris, with the massive outcry about the opening ceremony, constant rains, disruption of the transport system, and a rumored power outage.