There have reportedly been power interruptions in Paris, France. On Saturday, some users of X (previously Twitter) posted images and videos of the city, implying that there had been a purported “blackout” that put Paris in complete darkness. One video on X featured power failures in multiple Parisian areas, while another featured total darkness in the city. The alleged power outage also fell on the same day as the 2024 Olympics, which sparked controversy at the opening ceremony and had a contentious history.
Pitch darkness Massive power outage in Paris pic.twitter.com/9LREV1ZIfJ
— S p r i n t e r (@SprinterFamily) July 27, 2024
The rumored disruption is said to have occurred just 24 hours after the contentious 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, which many people condemned for making fun of Christianity. Christians were outraged at a part of the event featuring a “naked blue man” in a scenario that some compared to the Last Supper. The #boycottOlympics and #boycottParis2024 hashtags are trending as a result of this dispute.
#WATCH : Olympic Games city of Paris faces a massive blackout a day after the inauguration.#Paris2024 #paris2024olympics #ParisOlympics2024 #Paris #Olympic2024 #OlympicGames #Olympics #blackoutolympics #blackout pic.twitter.com/iaD7xDUHot
— upuknews (@upuknews1) July 28, 2024
Controversy surrounds Paris Olympics inauguration
The clip has drawn a lot of criticism; the official X account for the Olympic Games called it a “interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus.” The Greek fertility god Dionysus has no connection to the Last Supper, which only serves to inflame the opposition. The contentious role’s French actor and singer, Philippe Katerine, brushed off the criticism, saying, “It wouldn’t be fun if there were no controversy.” If everyone on this globe agreed, wouldn’t that be boring?
International leaders and the French Catholic Church have also expressed their disgust. While US Catholic Bishop Robert Barron expressed his dismay online, calling the representation a “gross mockery” of a pivotal period in Christianity, the Conference of French Bishops made a statement denouncing the caricature.
“I love the Olympics, so I turn on the opening ceremony of the Olympics. This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore. And what do I see now? It’s in Paris, France, a city I love, I spent three years as a doctoral student there,” Barron said.
“I see this gross mockery of the last supper and I won’t describe it any further. France felt evidently as it’s trying to put its best cultural foot forward, that the right thing to do is to mock this very central moment in Christianity where Jesus at his last supper gives his body and blood in anticipation of the cross. It’s presented through this gross or flippant mockery. France which used to be called the oldest daughter of the church,” he added.
The French heavy metal band Gojira’s performance of “Ah! Ca Ira,” a well-known song from the French Revolution, left many of the attendees even more angry. Opera singer Marina Viotti joined the group, and several severed heads depicted the executed Queen Marie Antoinette.
Paris Olympics faces trouble
Apart from the ceremony, there have been several additional problems with the Paris Olympics. A’massive arson attack’ on the rail network caused major delays and affected about 800,000 passengers on the first day of travel. Major stations, notably the Gare du Nord, the principal Eurostar station in Paris, had service disruptions and train halts due to fires at critical facilities.
Numerous sporting activities have been forced to be postponed due to the worsening circumstances caused by heavy rainfall. Despite these difficulties, the opening ceremony garnered a sizable audience—28.6 million Americans watched it, according to preliminary figures from Comcast’s NBCUniversal.
Speculation about Paris power outage
The speculations of a power outage have compounded Paris’s problems as the city struggles with these disturbances. Although a lot of images and videos on the internet appear to show a widespread blackout, their veracity has been questioned. However, many others have found resonance in the symbolism of the purported blackout that followed the contentious event, which has sparked a flurry of internet emotions.
“A major power outage / blackout has struck Paris. This comes just 24 hours after Christianity was mocked during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. God will NOT be mocked,” wrote an X user.
While another added, “Paris thrust into complete darkness. Massive power outage hits Olympics. God didn’t think y’all’s little show was very funny.”
A third user remarked, “Major power outage hitting Paris right now. God works in mysterious ways.”
