Parisian Protests: Shit Hits the Seine
-Gargee Dixit S.Y. B.Sc.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Source: Pinterest
If any one of you has any contact with the outside world, you must have heard about the Seine River protest. And if you haven’t, congratulations you’re not chronically online. The Seine River protest is not something that stands out in the vibrant, long-standing variety of French demonstrations but is rather amusing. The people are going to shit in the Seine. If you’re appalled by the above sentence let me give you some context. 2024 is a leap year. One of the burdens of a leap year is hosting the Olympics. And this year they’re happening in Paris. So why are people in Paris or Parisians (hard to read yes) shitting in their main river?
You see, in preparation for the Paris Olympics, a massive budget of around $9 billion was allotted to host the Olympics. And out of that budget, almost $1.5 billion were channelled towards the cleaning of the river Seine. The river, though flowing through the heartland of the world’s romance centre, is so unclean that swimming in it has been banned for a century. The water is getting a makeover. The Paris authorities promised to clean the unswimmable river for the Olympics and host water events in the same.
The water events are slated to occur in the Seine and to ensure that the plan is followed through, Macron put his dignity on the line. He, along with the Mayor of Paris, has promised to swim in the river on 23rd June before the Olympics and ensure it is safe to do so. Now this is where the amusing protest comes into the picture. Throughout the year, the French have been somewhat resistant to the idea of hosting the Olympics and cleaning the Seine because many make the argument that the funds could be easily used somewhere else for e.g., in healthcare or housing. No one likes a Party when the house is burning. Hence the day Macron and Anne Hidalgo are supposed to swim in the Seine, Parisians are going to shit in it, as an act of revolt. The same people who brought us the French Revolution ladies and gentlemen. There are even algorithms on websites to tell you where you can shit, and in which region so that it reaches the place where Macron is going to swim. The hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates to “I shit in the Seine on June 23” has gone viral on Twitter.
This protest is ridiculous. But often ridiculous protests help raise the most awareness and get the point across. So what are the demands of this protest? And has the ridiculousness of the protest helped in furthering its cause? People are protesting to clean the river. That seems to suggest the public is stupid because who doesn’t want a clean river flowing through their city? But the main concern of the protestors is that cleaning the river is futile as reports show even after this much spending the river may not be clean enough to swim. The protestors argue that the money spent, around $1.5 billion could’ve been used on other social issues. This critique can be enlarged to the Olympics as a whole.
General knowledge tells us the Olympics is a spectacular event. It is people celebrating their innate spirit, a tradition that has been with us since 776 BC. However, as we take a turn towards the 21st century, does it economically make sense to host the Olympics? Well, the answer is rather peculiar. It depends on the city. A brief economics history shows mixed reviews about hosting the Olympics. When LA hosted the Olympics in 1984, it ended up with $215 million in profit. It is the only city to earn an operating profit, mainly because of its negotiable leverage and its existing infrastructure. Others have not been so lucky. Reports have shown the Greek Debt Crisis escalated due to the Athens 2004 Olympics. Denver rejected hosting the Winter Olympics in 1976 due to economic and ecological concerns.
It is clear that economically, hosting the Olympics might seem like a risky move. And that is why Parisians are protesting. After all, they have to deal with increased tourism, high hotel prices, and crowded streets. However, Olympic enthusiasts say that the predicted impact on the economy is around 6-11 billion dollars (with a $9 billion price tag). But people fail to understand that the impact is projected over 17 years. What enormous positive impact can be seen on the economy if the $9 billion price tag of the 2024 Olympics was used elsewhere? We will not know. But it’s fun to hypothesise.
June 23rd Update:
Macron was supposed to swim in the Seine River today. He did not. He has postponed it to July, just before the Olympics are supposed to start. Reports show the river is not yet clean enough to swim, even after spending this much money. Various bacteria are still present in the river and if the water isn’t safe enough, there is no plan B. The events may get postponed, but no other provision is made. With professional athletes at the top of their game arriving in the City of Love, is the muddy water of the Seine the sight Paris wants to portray? One of the main reasons for hosting the Olympics aside is that the world’s attention is on the host city. So that it can revel in the attention, boost its economy, and gain cultural relevance. So, will the Eiffel Tower shine in the spotlight or will the muddy colour of the Seine peak through the shadows? Let’s hope for Macron it’s the first one.