Parisians are campaigning to “poop in the Seine River”
[Paris Olympics. Photo Credit to Pexels]
On the 23rd of last month, Parisians had campaigned and threatened to poop in the Seine River in order to protest against the Paris Olympics which will be held soon.
People in Paris are protesting at the expense of cleaning up the Seine River for Olympics preparations, along with the hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which directly translates as “I shit in the Seine on June 23rd.”
The citizens are deeply angry and upset, arguing that the government and the city of Paris are only caring about the Olympics.
Meanwhile, the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics will be held by the river, being the first opening ceremony that is held outside a stadium.
Athletes from different nations will be on cruise boats in this opening ceremony and the spectators will be lining the banks.
Moreover, the swimming leg of the triathlon and the open-water swimming competition are planned and scheduled to be held in the Seine River.
Because of this, the government of France and the city of Paris are investing about €1.4bn along with more upcoming financial investments in the future.
This absurd amount of money upset the Parisians.
However, regardless of the outrageous money invested, the water quality of the Seine River was still very controversial among people.
To stop the controversy regarding the river’s water quality, French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced that they are planning on swimming in the Seine River themselves in order to prove the clean water quality, but they were criticized by citizens.
However, the latest tests revealed early this month that the river’s level of E. coli bacteria exceeded the limit set by the International Sports Federation by four times.
It is expected that this water quality can cause the athletes to experience diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and sepsis after having their games in the river.
In fact, swimming in the Seine River has been banned since 1923 due to worsened water quality.
The city of Paris is promoting ways to allow swimming in the Seine River after the Olympics, but it is uncertain if it will be allowed again in the future.
At the same time, there are more reasons why Parisians are opposed to the Paris Olympics.
One of the reasons is that tourists, athletes, and the Olympic staff from all over the globe are causing problems with prices and accommodations.
In fact, the city of Paris is planning on using university dormitories for the Olympics.
Moreover, it is expected that the transport cost in Paris will double during the Olympic season.
It was also revealed that security operations will require a vast amount of money, as the opening ceremony on the Seine River will be vulnerable in terms of safety and security.
Another criticism mentioned that the government of France is attempting to conceal the nation’s poverty by clearing the homeless encampments.
Various crimes like traffic disturbances, terrorism, fraud, and pickpockets are being talked about with concern by Parisians along with other concerns of discomfort that the residents will be affected by.
- Catrina Cho / Grade 11
- Saint Paul Preparatory Seoul