France’s far left faces accusations of antisemitism from Olympics DJ

PARIS — Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far-left France Unbowed party has come under renewed scrutiny over accusations of antisemitism after LGBT+ activist and feminist DJ Barbara Butch was forced to cut short a concert in Grenoble over the weekend. Butch, who is Jewish, plans to file a complaint against Mélenchon’s party for incitement to hatred and violence, her lawyer Audrey Msellati told Franceinfo radio Thursday. The French DJ had shot to worldwide fame after appearing in a controversial performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony in 2024 inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” featuring drag queens and a quasi-naked blue performer. On Saturday, Butch was forced to interrupt a show in the southeastern town of Grenoble amid heckling and reports that objects had been thrown at the stage. “I was extremely scared, so much so. And the shock was such that I couldn’t move for days,” Butch said on Thursday. “And now there are new calls to boycott that have been made by the France Unbowed [locally].” Critics, including former prime minister and presidential hopeful Gabriel Attal, have accused the far left of targeting Butch because she is Jewish. France Unbowed and Mélenchon, who has been gaining ground against centrist candidates in recent polls ahead of next year’s presidential election, have previously faced accusations of antisemitism. Ahead of Butch’s show in Grenoble, local branches of France Unbowed and pro-Palestinian activists called for a boycott and protest, accusing her of supporting Israel. In a leaflet, they said she had “censored Palestinian voices” by signing a petition backing controversial French draft legislation against antisemitism in 2024. The bill was later dropped. France Unbowed has been on the defensive over the incident. Mathilde Panot, the leader of its parliamentary group, said Wednesday that the leaflet targeting Butch was “bad.”