As Parisians prepared for a protest unlike any other, plans for the #JeChieDansLaSeine23Juin – which translates to “I sh@t in the Seine 23 June” – have been postponed. The citizens of France were enraged after the French government spent more than 1.5 billion dollars of taxpayers’ money just trying to make the river safe to swim in for the 2024 Olympics held in Paris. The Seine is a 777-kilometre-long river in northern France and runs through the centre of Paris.

On 23 June, the president of France, Emanuel Macron, and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, were set to swim in the river to demonstrate that it is safe. Angry citizens gathered on social media, under #JeChieDansLaSein23Juin, to protest.

Here’s the update on the 'Paris Poop Protest' pic.twitter.com/0lV3XXeHPc

— ??????? — e\acc (@Hamptonism) June 25, 2024

The Parisians had planned to fight back by gathering at the Seine on the day the president and the mayor were set to swim in it and collectively take a big dump in the river. A website was created to allow the rest of France to participate in the big dump. The website calculates the day you should poop in the river for it to arrive in Paris on 23 June. The slogan of the website is “Because after putting us in sh@t it’s up to them to bathe in our sh@t.”

On 21 June a report showed that the water is still not safe to swim in. Sky News reported that a water sample showed that the river has a high rate of two different kinds of faecal bacteria.

The swim by Macron and Hidalgo was postponed to July after the French elections and the citizens have also put their big dump on pause awaiting the end of the elections.  

The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially branded as Paris 2024, is scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in France, with Paris as the main host city and 16 other cities spread across France, plus one Tahitian island. Paris 2024 will mark the centenary of Paris 1924.

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is planned on the Seine, the first time it will not be held in the Games' main stadium.

Macron said it could be moved to the national stadium if security concerns arose.

Macron said that instead of teams sailing down the Seine in boats, the ceremony could be “confined to the Trocadero building” across the river from the Eiffel Tower or “even moved to the Stade de France”.

French people are protesting with shit in Paris because Emmanuel Macron claimed he spent €1 billion to clean up La Seine in preparation for #Paris2024 Olympics and to show how clean the river is, he would swim in it. #JeChieDanLaSeine is mobilising people of France to Poop in it pic.twitter.com/MZM9gHnPcQ

— Nejeeb Bello Oyarese (@NejeebBello) June 24, 2024

The Olympic Games take place from Friday 26 July to Sunday 11 August.

Paris was awarded the Games on 13 September 2017 after multiple withdrawals left only Paris and Los Angeles in contention. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a process to concurrently award the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics to the two remaining candidate cities.

@aaaaaaaaoniiii The French are iconic protesters #olympics #funny #paris #teamwork ? original sound - Airani??

Paris was awarded the Games on 13 September 2017 after multiple withdrawals left only Paris and Los Angeles in contention. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved a process to concurrently award the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics to the two remaining candidate cities.

Having previously hosted in 1900 and 1924, Paris will become the second city to host the Summer Olympics three times after London hosted it in 1908, 1948 and 2012.

Paris 2024 will feature the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic event. The 2024 Games are expected to cost €8.3 billion.

OFM News/Keitumetse Netshivhodza cg