French DJ files complaints after activists disrupt Grenoble show

French Jewish DJ Barbara Butch has filed complaints after campaigners disrupted one of her performances in Grenoble, her lawyer said Thursday.

Butch, who became widely known after appearing in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, was forced off stage during a set in the eastern French city on Saturday. Her lawyer, Audrey Msellati, said Butch filed criminal complaints in Grenoble and Paris alleging incitement to hatred and violence, assault, obstruction of artistic freedom and other complaints.

Msellati said debate was a freedom and violence was an offence.

The campaign against Butch is linked to Israel's war in Gaza and to her decision to sign a petition supporting a draft law that would have widened the criminal definition of anti-Semitism in France. The proposed measure, known as the Yadan draft law, was withdrawn earlier this year after major protests and criticism from the United Nations.

Campaigners and local elected officials from the hard-left France Unbowed party had targeted Butch over her support for the petition. Critics of the draft law said it sought to silence people campaigning for Palestinian rights and against Israel's war in Gaza.

The campaign against Butch has caused unease even among supporters of a cultural boycott of Israel and has raised questions about who should be considered a legitimate target for such action.

Butch, who campaigns for the LGBTQ community, said she faced verbal abuse and objects thrown onto the stage. She told Franceinfo radio on Thursday morning that she would not wish anyone to feel or go through what she experienced on Saturday. She has also said she regretted signing the petition.

Butch became known internationally after the July 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. She performed with dancers and drag queens in a scene that recalled depictions of the Last Supper. After that appearance, she was targeted by an intense online cyberbullying campaign.