As Paris prepares to host the 2024 Olympics, the city’s plan to spend €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) on cleaning up the Seine River has been met with an unconventional form of protest from some of its residents.
The cleanup is intended to ensure that athletes can safely swim in the river during the Games, but many French citizens believe the money could be better spent on other pressing issues, such as improving working conditions and pay for workers.
In response to the city’s priorities, angry Parisians have taken to social media with the hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates to “I shit in the Seine on June 23.” This protest is aimed at disrupting the planned symbolic swim by President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who have pledged to be the first to take a dip in the Seine to prove the water is safe.
The #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin movement has gained traction among those who feel that the city’s focus on the Olympics has overshadowed the needs of its residents.
By threatening to contaminate the very river the city is spending billions to clean, protesters hope to draw attention to their demands for better working conditions and fair compensation, especially for those who will be working during the Olympic Games.
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