Official Poster for Paris Olympics Accused of Being 'Anti-Christian'
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
A cartoonish, art-deco-style poster for this summer’s Paris Olympics is being attacked for omitting a piece of France’s Christian heritage.
The poster omits the cross from the top of the Dôme des Invalides, which contains Napoleon’s tomb.
Francois-Xavier Bellamy of the conservative Republican party said those who created the image were “ready to deny France, going so far as to distort reality to cancel its history,” according to the Daily Mail.
National Rally lawmaker Nicolas Meizonnet blamed the omission on “wokism.”
Others shared their anger on social media.
“Why did you erase the cross at the top of the dôme of the Invalides on the official poster of #JO2024 ? Why no French flag? What is the point of organizing the Olympic Games in France if it is to hide what we are?” French politician Marion Marechal posted on X.
Pourquoi avoir effacé la croix au sommet du dôme des Invalides sur l’affiche officielle des #JO2024 ? Pourquoi aucun drapeau français ?
Quel intérêt d’organiser les Jeux Olympiques en France si c’est pour cacher ce que nous sommes ? pic.twitter.com/KrFtfMwyIy— Marion Maréchal (@MarionMarechal) March 5, 2024
“They replaced the cross on Les Invalides in Paris from the official poster design for the 2024 Olympic Games in France. Whom are these people trying to appease? These actions suggest a disdain for Western civilization and its Christian heritage!” journalist Sachin Jose posted on X.
They replaced the cross on Les Invalides in Paris from the official poster design for the 2024 Olympic Games in France. Whom are these people trying to appease? These actions suggest a disdain for Western civilization and its Christian heritage! pic.twitter.com/4FWyhCj9cM
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) March 5, 2024
“Why is Paris 2024 now a pure woke organization deleting the cross on the Invalides and erasing Notre Dame. Pure anti Christian organization. When are you sent out out this country? Why such racism against France history? You are vile Paris 2024,” a poster named Bleu Pedro posted on X.
Artist Ugo Gattoni said the posters are not intended to be viewed literally, according to France 24.
In the poster that includes all 54 Olympic and Paralympic sports, Gattoni said he drew buildings “in the way they come to my mind, without any ulterior motive.
“I am not aiming to make them accurate to the originals but rather to make them recognizable at a glance, placing them within a surrealist and celebratory universe,” he said in a statement sent by the Olympic Organizing Committee.
The committee said the posters should be viewed as a “light-hearted interpretation of a reinvented stadium-city” and as such there was no need to have the French flag.
Noting that a wave just right for surfing is “offshore of the Marseille Marina; the Eiffel Tower is pink; the Metro is passing through the Arc de Triomphe — none of which should be the object of politically motivated interpretations,” it said.
The Daily Mail noted that the French government is allowing Saudi Arabia to have its own “Olympic village” near the Invalides for about four months.
Conservative lawmaker Nathalie Serre said the Saudi enclave was a misfit for “an architectural treasure, full of symbolism and our country’s history.”
“There are some things that are not for sale and in my view Les Invalides is one of them,” she said.
France’s defense ministry said details of the deal have not been finalized.
The Olympics will run from July 26 to Aug. 11, with the Paralympics from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.
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