The French are a people historically known for their propensity to protest, but their latest efforts might be some of their most comical yet.
With the nation’s capital mere weeks away from hosting the 2024 Olympic Games, some Parisians have chosen to protest what they see as excessive spending in a unique way – by going number two in the River Siene.
France’s iconic waterway is set to host the marathon swimming event, but ongoing concerns about water quality have cast doubt over the safety of the event, and this was before the protests began.
What is the Paris Poop Protest?
The Paris Poop Protest was an intended protest of overspending by the French government in an effort to clean up the River Siene.
With questions surrounding the suitability of the waterway for marathon swimmers, French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had pledged to swim in the river on June 23, which lead to the creation of the viral hashtag campaign ‘#JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin’, translated to mean, ‘I sh-t in the Seine on June 23.’
The movement also spawned its own website, that had included a countdown to the day that the protest was set to happen.
The French government has reportedly spent over €1.5 billion attempting to clean the Siene, an effort which has thus far missed its mark, with Macron and Hidalgo postponing their commemorative dip until the week of July 15, just two weeks before the start of the Olympic Games.
“Our objective is an Olympic legacy, said deputy mayor in charge of sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Pierre Rabadan.
“That you and me or whoever happens to be in Paris can swim in the Seine.”
The clean-up effort of the Siene was not started purely for the Olympic Games, but Rabadan said that the looming competition provided much needed attention and support.
“The Olympics acted as an accelerator,” he said.
“Without the games, [the clean up] would probably have taken 10 more years.”
When is the Olympic marathon swimming?
The Olympic marathon swimming events will take place across two days, with the women’s 10km held on August 8, and the men’s a day later on August 9, both beginning at 7:30 am local time.
The events are (for now) being held in the River Seine, at Pont Alexandre III.