Scandal in Paris: Police Use Force Against Believers Protesting Occult Exhibitions in Churches

Clashes broke out in the French capital between police and Catholics protesting the placement of occult and voodoo installations in the city’s historic churches as part of the “White Night” festival. A peaceful prayer vigil outside the Church of Saint-Laurent was violently dispersed by law enforcement, sparking widespread public outrage.

According to Life Site News, Paris police used force against the protesters, who included elderly women. Parishioners gathered on the church steps to protect the sanctuary from exhibits they deemed blasphemous. Notably, it was the leadership of the Saint-Laurent parish itself that called in law enforcement to disperse the believers.

The controversial city event was organized by LGBT activist and singer Barbara Butch, who previously gained notoriety after participating in a parody of “The Last Supper” during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. The budget for this year’s festival was 1.3 million euros. As part of the project, speakers were installed near the altars and confessionals in Saint-Laurent Cathedral to broadcast visitors’ voices, while in the chapel of the Tenon Hospital, artist Stéphane Blanquet presented voodoo masks in an installation titled “The Suffocating Jungle.”

The public and journalists hold the Archdiocese of Paris responsible for what happened, since such projects could not have been carried out in consecrated buildings without the official approval of church authorities. At this time, representatives of the Archdiocese have not provided any official comments regarding the criteria for selecting exhibitions to be held in the city’s churches.