Gojira’s Joseph Duplantier defended the band against accusations of “perpetuating satanism” following their historic July 26 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony performance. Gojira’s rendition of “Ah! Ça Ira,” featuring opera singer Marina Viotti and beheaded figures such as representing Queen Marie Antoinette, sparked backlash from some Christians and social media influencer Andrew Tate, who claimed it was satanic.
Shortly after the group’s initial performance, Tate shared the clip on social media with the following comment:
“Satanists control the west and they show you that they worship the devil. It’s not a conspiracy theory. They literally show you. Are you blind?”
Duplantier clarified to Rolling Stone that the performance was about French history and culture, not satanism. He emphasized France’s separation of state and religion, known as laïcité, which allows for free expression and symbolism.
Duplantier explained:
“It’s none of that. It’s French history. It’s French charm, you know, beheaded people, red wine, and blood all over the place — it’s romantic, it’s normal. There’s nothing satanic.
France is a country that made a separation between the state and religion during the revolution. And it’s something very important, very dear to the foundation of republican France. We call it laïcité. It’s when the state is not religious anymore, so therefore it’s free in terms of expression and symbolism. It’s all about history and facts. We don’t look too close closely at symbolism in terms of religion.”
Later, in the same discussion with Rolling Stone, Duplantier expressed his surprise at Gojira being chosen for the Olympics over more famous bands:
“I try not to think too much about that because it continues to blow my mind.The Olympic Committee could have asked literally anybody to play. I’m thinking of bands like Metallica or AC/DC that are household names and powerhouses in our genre that we all revere and are our heroes. We never considered ourselves the biggest band in the world that would be worthy to play the Olympics or anything like that. It’s so weird.
The way I think about it is it’s a challenge in 2024 to give hope to people, to show something original. People have seen everything from landing on the moon to A.I. So it was a challenge for Paris and the Committee to express something fresh, new, and original and also show what France is all about.
At least for our part, the fact that metal and opera had never been seen together on TV and in front of so many people before is a statement for the country of France. It’s saying, ‘Hey, look. We’re still pushing the boundaries in the world.’ So congrats to France for putting this together.”
The band continues to express gratitude for being part of the ceremony and for the overwhelming support and feedback from the metal community.
