'Shocked' US tech firm pulls Olympics advertising after 'mockery of Last Supper' controversy

A US-based tech firm has pulled their advertising from the Olympic Games in Paris, France over what they have deemed "mockery of the Last Supper" during Friday's opening ceremony.

During the divisive opening ceremony, there was a performance by a group of drag entertainers which at one point appeared to resemble Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' painting.

The official Olympics X/Twitter account said that the scene was actually an "interpretation of the Greek god Dionysus" adding "[It] makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."

Despite the explanation that this was not trying to imitate the Last Supper, the performance has since sparked widespread controversy and condemnation, mostly from right-wing, sometimes Catholic, conservatives in the United States.

Now C-Spire, a Mississippi-based telecommunications and technology company, have announced that they will no longer be advertising at the games, admitting that they were "shocked" by the performance.“

"We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics,” claimed the company.

In a statement, Company President and CEO Suzy Hays added: "C Spire is supportive of our athletes who have worked so hard to be a part of the Olympics. However, we will not be a part of the offensive and unacceptable mockery of the Last Supper, which is why we’re pulling our advertising from the Olympics.”

It has not been disclosed how much C Spire paid for their advertising at the Olympics but their move has been widely supported by their customers in America, including Mississippi governor Tate Reeves.

Despite the controversy, the opening ceremony's artistic director, Thomas Jolly, has defended the inclusion of the drag acts.

Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together,” Jolly said during a press conference.

“We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”