PARIS: Seven people have been charged in connection with cyberbullying targeting Thomas Jolly, the artistic mastermind behind the Paris Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies, French authorities announced Friday.
The online attacks erupted after Jolly’s acclaimed but controversial opening July spectacle on the Seine — a queer-inclusive, high-energy fusion of tradition and modernity that, for some, was too bold to ignore.
The abuse quickly escalated, laced with homophobic and antisemitic slurs, and reportedly aimed to silence the artistic intent behind the show. Jolly responded by filing a formal complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office on July 31, prompting an investigation that led to the “first wave” of arrests, with more expected as the probe unfolds.
The seven people charged, ranging in age from 22 to 79, face counts of death threats, aggravated insults, and cyberbullying — serious allegations carrying the weight of potential prison time and heavy fines.
Jolly, a theatrical maverick known for blending bold cultural themes, had intended his production that lit up the City of Light as a vibrant, inclusive portrayal of French diversity. Jolly’s star-studded opening ceremony, featuring queer community luminaries like Celine Dion and Lady Gaga. However, drag performers, high-energy runway walks, and — in particular — a scene some interpreted as the “Last Supper” drew ire from far-right politicians and religious figures across the world.
Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, Eduard Habsburg, denounced the scene as disrespectful, noting wryly that “decapitating Habsburgs and ridiculizing central Christian events are really the FIRST two things that spring to mind when you think of #OlympicGames.” US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump went even further, calling the scene “a disgrace.”
Amid the uproar, Jolly told French lawmakers last month that there was a distinction between constructive criticism and the discriminatory attacks he received.
“Critique, that’s my life… but when it involves discrimination, it becomes criminal,” he said.
Stressing that the show’s intent was neither offensive nor religious, he defended his vision, expressing disbelief that anyone could interpret his work as disrespectful.
“I didn’t set out to mock any religion,” he emphasized, reflecting that he incorporated references to Notre Dame cathedral as a homage to France’s cultural heritage, not as a religious statement.
Support for Jolly has come from within the artistic community, including fellow performers who were also subjected to online abuse. Barbara Butch, an advocate and DJ, and Drag Race France host Nicky Doll, who both performed in the Olympic ceremony, were among those harassed. Although only Jolly was named in the prosecutor’s official statement, the wave of hostility extended to others involved in the production.
Among the performers, Hugo Bardin, known as drag queen Paloma, expressed pride in the event’s bold message of inclusion and called it “a really important moment for the French people and the representation of France around the world.”
The prosecutor’s office Friday emphasized the seriousness of the charges and arrests, noting that the case reflects a troubling pattern of cyberbullying and hate speech directed at prominent figures.
It said the suspects sought to “intimidate and silence expressions of inclusivity” and diversity in a highly public and symbolic event.
The arrests are seen as a first step in France’s fight against cyberbullying, which authorities note has become increasingly sophisticated. In Jolly’s case, prosecutors pointed to the disturbing “pack behavior” of attackers acting independently to escalate the harassment, a pattern seen in other online hate campaigns.
The seven accused are set to appear in court on March 5.

TUNIS: Tunisian freediver Walid Boudhiaf, the Arab world’s only international champion in the sport and a one-time world record holder at 150 meters, is eyeing new achievements and hopes to expand the sport in his home country, where “thousands practice it without even realizing.”
During a recent visit to Tunisia, the 46-year-old, who spends half the year in Colombia and the other half training in the Bahamas, shared his remarkable journey with AFP.
Though he grew up in Tunisia, where he spent most of his summers by the sea, Boudhiaf didn’t discover freediving until later.
His father, a Tunisian university professor, and French doctor mother were both “sea lovers” and taught him to swim at the age of three, later introducing him to spearfishing.
By his mid-20s, freediving came to him a continent away and nowhere near the sea — “by chance in a pool in Bogota,” the Colombian capital that sits over a thousand kilometers (620 miles) from the Pacific Ocean.
Boudhiaf initially took up underwater rugby, which, he said, proved “not aggressive enough.”
His coach had then noticed his ability to control his breath, which years later would help him achieve a personal record of seven minutes 38 seconds.
Boudhiaf said living in Bogota at 2,600 meters above sea level has also helped develop “excellent cardiovascular conditions” by stimulating red blood cell production due to the low oxygen levels.
He then began training up to six hours a day, he said, while balancing a job as a computer engineer.
“I stopped going out,” he recalls. “All I did was train.”
Boudhiaf entered his first competition in Marseille in 2007, but it wasn’t until 2012 that he was able to fully dedicate himself to freediving, following a “last job in the Canary Islands, where I went to be closer to the sea.”
Today, thanks to sponsorship from Tunisian companies, he can finally make a living from his passion and also organizes workshops and conferences based around the sport.
In Egypt in 2021, he gained international renown when he set a world record at 150 meters in the variable weight category, which requires using a pulling rope on the way down and fins to go back up.
He said he was inspired by Luc Besson’s 1988 film “The Big Blue” that put freediving on the map, and the achievements of legendary diver Umberto Pelizzari.
“It was a dream that I had since I watched ‘The Big Blue’ and saw Umberto Pelizzari’s records,” he said. “One hundred fifty meters is a symbolic frontier, a testament to human potential.”
Boudhiaf was also crowned world champion in 2022, diving to 116 meters in free immersion apnea timed at three minutes 54 seconds.
After collecting several medals at the Deep Blue competition in Dominica this past April — one gold, two silver, and one bronze — he has been training for the 2025 Vertical Blue, an elite freediving competition held in the Bahamas, which he calls “the Wimbledon of freediving.”
He is hoping to beat the constant weight record of 136 meters, currently held by Russia’s Alexey Molchanov, who broke Boudhiaf’s variable weight record with a depth of 156 meters in March 2023.
Beyond competing and pursuing records, which “have ups and downs and challenges to maintaining peak performance,” another focus of Boudhiaf’s is growing the sport in Tunisia.
“Many Tunisians are already practicing it without knowing it, through amateur spearfishing, which is a form of freediving,” he said, referring to Tunisia’s long-standing traditions of sponge diving and coral collecting.
Additionally, interest in pool-based freediving is growing, he added, especially at the Rades Olympic Complex near Tunis.
“I’m motivated to provide more support,” Boudhiaf said, adding that the sport required little resources and equipment and that it “isn’t a sport for the wealthy.”
While Egypt, Greece or Turkiye are better for competition-oriented training with “very deep spots close to the shore” in the Mediterranean, according to Boudhiaf, Tunisia is still suitable for “recreational freediving.”
“You don’t need to dive 100 meters,” he said. “At 20, 30, or 50 meters, beginners can improve and even reach an advanced level.”
Freediving is also “the most natural way to observe and interact with marine life,” he added.
Breathing techniques also promote good health, he said, because the exercises can help manage stress.