This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Barbara Butch, a radical LGBT activist who was part of a stunt at the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies that mocked Christianity, now is threatening to sue those who are criticizing her.
And an American legal expert, constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley, is explaining the anti-free speech laws and conditions in France create a much more conducive atmosphere to that agenda than would be present in the United States for such an attack.
There, he said, "free speech is in a free fall with the left pushing for the censorship and criminalization of an ever-expanding range of political and religious speech."
Olympic officials later offered an apology of sorts, saying there was no intention "to show disrespect."
They claimed their goal with the stunt was to portray an assembly of mythical gods, and they wanted to push "tolerance and community."
Online commenters rejected the "apology" out of hand.
"Sorry, @Olympics apology not accepted. There was no tolerance for Christians. In fact their God & their faith was attacked. You clearly announced in the beginning it was aimed at the last supper. Not a 'mistake' a miscalculation! Unacceptable! Demons and devil worship."
It is Turley who confirmed the threat from Butch "to sue those criticizing her."
"Butch played the role (wearing a Christ-like halo) viewed by many as a spoof on Christ in the Last Supper. The creators insist that they were going for a type of 'pagan party' of Olympic gods and sent a message of tolerance."
"The threat of legal action would not be especially serious in the United States where opinion is given robust protection in both criminal and civil cases," Turley said. But he said it's otherwise in France.
"Audrey Msellati, Butch's attorney, posted a statement on Butch's Instagram account that the DJ and activist will seek legal action after being 'the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation.' She is promising to file 'several complaints against these acts,'" he reported.
Msellati said the French disc jockey "has been threatened with death, torture and rape, and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic insults," reported BBC News.
Threats of violence can be prosecuted, Turley noted.
But he pointed out in France "opinion" actually can result in criminal charges.
"In my new book, 'The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,' I discuss the collapse of free speech rights in France as well as other European countries. This anti-free speech wave has now reached our shores. It has many allies in our own anti-free speech movement. American leaders such as Hillary Clinton have actually enlisted the help of European censors to seek to silence American citizens," he explained.
He pointed out France once was the cradle of individual liberty but now is in the middle of a crackdown on speech.
"These laws criminalize speech under vague standards referring to 'inciting' or 'intimidating' others based on race or religion," he said.
Mississippi-based telecommunications and technology company C Spire posted on X that it had pulled all of its advertising from the Olympics over the ceremony's mockery of painting created to show a biblical moment crucial to the Christian faith.
