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French president Emmanuel Macron might have gotten himself into a stinky situation.
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With the Summer Olympics fast approaching, a movement has started on social media to protest the Games being held in Paris by defecating in the Seine River, which is set to host several swimming events.
Macron said in the lead up to the Games that he intends on swimming in the river himself to prove it is clean and safe for the athletes to use.
The protest, which has been dubbed “Je Chie Dans La Seine Le 23 Juin” or “I poop in the Seine on June 23,” has been formed to question the river’s safety. It has gained momentum on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok with accounts set up to help participants strategize the logistics of the plan.
According to SBS News, this unconventional campaign aims to highlight concerns about the cleanliness of the Seine River.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned since 1923. But with Paris hosting the 2024 Summer Games, the French government reportedly pledged $1.5 billion for a cleanup effort to enable open-water events in the river, including the swimming legs of triathlons and para-triathlons.
This big investment prompted both Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to promise to swim in the famous river, but the pair have not set a date.
“I’ll do it, but I won’t give you the date. You all risk being there,” Macron said.
With the protest planned for June 23, that would leave just over a month for any cleanup before the Games kick off July 26.
The movement predictably has garnered a big reaction on social media.
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“I would be concerned if I was an athlete, but as a spectator, this is hilarious,” one user wrote.
“Maybe they want to turn the swimming competition into a treasure hunt… the more ridiculous thing you find in the Seine, the higher the score,” another commented.
Some users also expressed skepticism about the cleanliness of the river, despite the big investment.
“I feel like the Seine within the city limits has more crap in it than water, and there definitely will be by the time Macron goes in,” one user posted.
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For more than six months, the Surfrider Foundation has been conducting water tests on samples from the Seine.
However, doubts persist regarding the river’s cleanup in time for the Olympics, as the organization’s website indicates that athletes will “risk having to compete in the polluted waters of the Seine.”
According to reports, the organization noted that out of 14 samples from the event area, only one was deemed “satisfactory,” as the remaining samples contained E. coli and “intestinal bacteria and formidable indicators of pollution of fecal origin.”
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