Some Parisians are preparing to protest a $1.5 billion state-backed initiative aimed at cleaning up the Seine River in Paris ahead of next month’s Olympic Games.
A group of activists is organizing a protest they are calling a “s—- flash mob” to be held in the river on the day President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo have pledged to swim in it in a bid to demonstrate the success of the government’s cleanup efforts at the famous river.
The hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates to “I s—- in the Seine on June 23,” has gained traction on social media platform X following the announcement of the swim date, Metro reports. A website with the same name has been launched, allowing participants to register the locations where they plan to defecate.
A poster promoting the event, circulating on social media, states: “On Sunday, June 23, we expect many of you to come and [defecate] in the Seine!” It mentions that no reservations are needed and access is free, with the location set as Pont Marie in the 4th arrondissement.
Social media has been inundated with memes reacting to the protest. Among the more family-friendly images is an AI-generated picture showing toilets installed by the “City of Paris” along the Seine’s banks. Another doctored image features Mr. Macron standing on a bridge over a river filled with excrement.
The protest comes amid ongoing efforts to clean up the Seine, with the goal of making it swimmable once again, as it was during the 1900 Paris Olympics. Last summer, a sewage problem led to the cancellation of a pre-Olympics swimming event in the river.
When asked by reporters if he would swim in the Seine, Mr. Macron confirmed he would but declined to provide a specific date, joking that it would deter attendees.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games include open water and triathlon events in the river. However, the French nonprofit Surfrider has indicated that more work may be necessary to ensure some sections of the Seine are safe for swimming by July. The organization says it has found “concentrations of enterococci and E. coli” in the water.
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