French police investigating abuse targeting Olympic opening ceremony DJ over 'Last Supper' tableau

PARIS (AP) — A storm of outrage about the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony — including angry comments from Donald Trump — took a legal turn Tuesday, with French prosecutors ordering police to investigate complaints of online abuse from a DJ and LGBTQ+ icon who performed.

DJ Barbara Butch said she suffered a torrent of online threats in the wake of a contentious scene at the Games' opening ceremony. 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 Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that it received Butch’s complaint and said it tasked a police unit that specializes in fighting hate crimes to investigate. The police probe will focus on “discriminatory messages based on religion or sexual orientation that were sent to her or posted online,” it said.

Although the ceremony's artistic director Thomas Jolly has repeatedly said that he wasn't inspired by “The Last Supper,” critics interpreted part of the show that featured Butch as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles. Butch, who calls herself a “love activist,” wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo as she got a party going during her segment of the show. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides.