The Paris theatre targeted by Christian fundamentalist protests has denied that excrement is portrayed running over the face of Jesus Christ in the play it is currently showing.

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The Théâtre de la ville has issued a joint statement with Romeo Castellucci, the author of Sul concetto di volto nel figlio di Dio (On the concept of the face of the son of God) to answer far-right Christian groups who have been disrupting performances and obstructing theatre-goers for over a week.



At the end of the performance, which features an incontinent old man being cared for by his son, black ink flows over the reproduction of a picture of Christ’s face by Antonello de Messina.



The play’s opponents claim that this showed excrement and was a sign of “Christianaphobia”.



“That’s untrue and I find the idea horrible,” said Castellucci on 22 October and the statement repeats the denial, saying that it represents a shroud.



“This false assertion is not a detail, since it is continually put forward by the people who, since 20 October, have tried to prevent performances at the Théâtre de la ville,” it says, adding that protesters have used teargas, engine oil and eggs to disrupt the play, as well as trying to prevent the public entering the theatre.

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