Similar posts<\/a> have circulated<\/a> elsewhere on X<\/a> in several languages, including Arabic<\/a>, French<\/a>\u00a0and Portuguese<\/a>.<\/p>\n Officials opened the Olympics on July 26 with an unprecedented\u00a0parade on the Seine<\/a>. But the racially diverse cast and the prominence given to women and LGBTQ performers\u00a0aroused criticism from some conservatives<\/a>, who dismissed it as “woke” — fueling a wave of misinformation<\/a> online.<\/p>\n Backlash has focused largely on a live portrait featuring dancers, drag queens and a DJ posing in a way that some argue depicts the Last Supper.<\/p>\n Director Thomas Jolly denied<\/a> drawing inspiration from Christian iconography, and Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters on July 28, 2024: “Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group … If people have taken any offense, we are, of course,\u00a0really, really sorry.”<\/p>\n Still, some Catholic groups and French bishops have\u00a0condemned<\/a> what they saw as “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity<\/span>.”<\/p>\n T<\/span>he<\/span> video shared online, however, is unrelated to the opening ceremony — and AFP found no evidence of large demonstrations following the performance.<\/span><\/p>\n Reverse image<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0keyword searches<\/a><\/span> surfaced<\/span> several posts sharing the same video, including one from the official X account<\/a> of the Notre Dame de Lourdes<\/a> shrine on August 14, 2022 (archived\u00a0here<\/a>).<\/p>\n The French caption says: “Happy Assumption Day to all. In union of prayer with all the Catholics of the world. May the Virgin Mary shine in your hearts.”<\/p>\n