A planned outdoor screening of the Oscar-winning Barbie film in a Paris suburb was cancelled after threats from young Muslim men who claimed the movie “promotes homosexuality” and “undermines the integrity of women”, igniting a fierce political debate about religious extremism and freedom of expression in France.
The incident occurred in Noisy-le-Sec, a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis département with a significant immigrant population, where approximately twelve young men confronted municipal employees on August 8 as they prepared for the free summer screening. The 2023 feminist comedy starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling had been selected by local residents through a public vote as part of the town’s three-year-old “Cinema under the Stars” programme.
Communist mayor Olivier Sarrabeyrouse revealed at a Thursday press conference that the group made “insistent threats” against council workers, warning they would destroy screening equipment if the event proceeded. The confrontation forced authorities to cancel the showing to protect staff and families attending the outdoor cinema.
Government Ministers Condemn ‘Attack on Culture’
The cancellation has drawn sharp responses from senior government officials, with Culture Minister Rachida Dati, who is Muslim herself, announcing she would refer the matter to prosecutors. “Yet another serious attack depriving children and families of cultural activity,” she said, confirming that legal proceedings are underway.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau delivered perhaps the strongest condemnation, linking the incident to broader concerns about Islamic extremism. Speaking to BFMTV, Retailleau warned that “below-the-radar Islamism is trying to infiltrate institutions, whose ultimate aim is to tip the whole of French society under sharia law.”
“The slightest retreat in the face of these community demands is unacceptable,” the Interior Minister added, reflecting growing government concerns about religious fundamentalism following a recent intelligence report on Muslim Brotherhood activities in France.
Prosecutor Opens Criminal Investigation
The Bobigny prosecutor’s office launched an investigation on Thursday evening into “threats, violence or acts of intimidation against a public official”, with the case assigned to the Noisy-le-Sec police station. Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez announced he would take additional legal action against what he termed “community withdrawal and separatism”.
Mayor Sarrabeyrouse filed a criminal complaint against the “unknown persons” who issued the threats, emphasising that while the intimidation wasn’t directed at specific individuals, the risk of equipment sabotage made cancellation necessary. “I regret that a small group in the neighbourhood has mobilised its energy under pressure from one individual to prevent the screening of this film, which was classified as suitable for all audiences in France when it was released in cinemas in 2023,” the mayor stated.
The local council has announced plans to reschedule the screening at a future date, with Sarrabeyrouse declaring there would be “no cultural no-go zones” in his commune.
Political Battle Lines Drawn Over Response
The incident has exposed deep political divisions, with right-wing parties condemning what they see as capitulation to Islamic fundamentalism whilst the mayor accused conservatives of exploiting the situation for political gain.
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party delivered scathing criticism, with MEP Aleksandar Nikolic comparing the situation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. “Preventing the screening of a film through physical pressure, and even threatening people’s safety, is obviously shocking. We are France, we must refuse this Talibanization of certain territories,” he declared.
National Rally MP Yoann Gillet called the cancellation “a serious mistake” that constituted “submitting to an Islamist ideology”, whilst Republican Senator Valérie Boyer suggested the threats were linked to “Islamic religious fundamentalists exercising strong and effective social control” in the area.
Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé described the incident as “not insignificant” but rather evidence of hardline Muslims attempting to “infiltrate” communities with large immigrant populations to shape social behaviour according to religious doctrine.
Mayor Denounces ‘Political Hijacking’
Despite condemning the threats as “obscurantism and fundamentalism”, Mayor Sarrabeyrouse reserved his harshest criticism for right-wing politicians he accused of exploiting the incident. At his press conference, he expressed outrage at what he termed the “hijacking by the Right” of the controversy.
“Let’s not be fooled. This is a dirty political manoeuvre … An incident at Noisy has been taken over by the far-Right fringe to stigmatise a neighbourhood,” the Communist mayor declared, adding that his social media accounts had been “flooded with insulting, racist and especially Islamophobic messages”.
Sarrabeyrouse emphasised that those making threats represented “an extreme minority of thugs, who, no doubt, had not seen the film, transformed a simple free open-air cinema screening open to all into a violent opposition movement”.
The mayor’s stance has drawn support from left-wing politicians, including far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who claimed discussions about the incident were “fueling Islamophobia” and promoting “delusional theories”.
Film’s Global Reception and French Context
The Barbie film, directed by Greta Gerwig, became the highest-grossing movie in Warner Brothers history, earning over £1 billion ($1.4 billion) worldwide. Whilst the movie features LGBTQ+ actors including Hari Nef and Kate McKinnon, it contains no explicitly homosexual storylines, instead following Barbie’s journey into the real world as she grapples with questions about purpose and identity.
The film has faced bans in several countries including Kuwait, Algeria, Lebanon and Vietnam over claims it violates public morals, but had received a general audiences rating in France when released in 2023. While the film stars gay and transgender actors, Barbie does not have any explicitly homosexual characters or scenes.
The Noisy-le-Sec incident occurs against a backdrop of heightened tensions over Islamic fundamentalism in France. A confidential government report presented to President Emmanuel Macron in May warned that Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups were attempting to create “ecosystems at the local level to structure the lives of Muslims from birth till death” through infiltration of schools, sports clubs and local government.
Interior Minister Retailleau has responded to these concerns by proposing new criminal legislation targeting “political Islam”, arguing that existing laws are insufficient to combat what he calls “entryism” – the systematic infiltration of republican institutions by Islamist groups.
Broader Implications for French Society
The Barbie screening cancellation represents more than an isolated incident for many observers, symbolising ongoing tensions over religious expression, secular values and freedom of culture in contemporary France. The confrontation in Noisy-le-Sec has reignited debates about integration, religious fundamentalism and the limits of cultural accommodation in French society.
Some commentators have drawn parallels to previous attacks on freedom of expression, though none have involved Hollywood blockbusters until now. The most notorious assault remains the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre, when twelve people were murdered in revenge for the satirical magazine’s publication of Prophet Muhammad caricatures.
As France approaches municipal elections next year, the incident has taken on additional political significance. Interior Minister Retailleau has expressed concern about the possibility of Islamic political lists forming for local elections, part of what he sees as a broader strategy to reshape French society according to religious principles.
The controversy continues to divide opinion across France, with some viewing it as evidence of creeping religious extremism whilst others warn against stigmatising entire communities. What remains clear is that a simple summer film screening has become a flashpoint for fundamental questions about French identity, secular values and the place of religion in public life.
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