Parisians threaten to poop in the River Seine in Olympic protest

Angry Parisians have threatened to poop in the River Seine en masse* as part of a gross Olympic protest against the high cost of purifying* the water.

An AI generated* picture of toilets lined up along the banks of the famous French river has gone viral on social media after Parisians expressed outrage over the cost of water treatment* for the Games.

Swimming in the famous French river has been banned for 101 years because of poor water quality but the French government has spent A$2.2 billion to clean it up for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It was hoped the water would be clean enough to swim in so that open water swimming and triathlon events could be held in the Seine when the Olympics kick off in just over a month’s time.

But late last week, water-testing experts said the river was still too polluted to host the opening water events.

Water samples showed high rates of faecal bacteria*, including E.coli*, in the water, which could cause serious health problems for anyone swimming in the river.

Heavy rain has also thrown the opening ceremony into doubt.

The Seine had been set to host the opening ceremony, which would see athletes travelling on 80 boats down the river past 200,000 Olympic fans.

But a planned rehearsal for the opening ceremony had to be postponed* because heavy rain had caused the water of the Seine to flow five times faster than it normally does.

Protesters have expressed anger that billions of dollars have been spent to clean the water and that the river has remained too dirty for athletes to compete in.

An anonymous* programmer* that set up a website for the protest told French media outlet Actu Paris the money could have been spent on helping people who are doing it tough.

“The problem is that all the resources* that have been invested* have not been to resolve all the social problems* we have at the moment,” they said. “We have the feeling of being abandoned. We see where their priority* was.”

The programmer said the planned pooping protest started as a joke that soon went viral online.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo had pledged to swim in the Seine ahead of the Olympics but have both postponed their plans for now.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• en masse: a large group of people doing something at the same time
• water treatment: removing germs from a river or waterway
• purifying: making the water clean and free from harmful bacteria
• AI generated: a fake photo created by Artificial Intelligence
• faecal bacteria: germs found in poo that can make people very sick
• E.coli: a type of bacteria that can cause vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and stomach cramps
• postponed: cancelled and planned for a later date
• anonymous: doesn’t want to reveal who they are
• programmer: someone who creates websites, apps or computer programs
• resources: money
• invested: paid for
• social problems: common problems affecting the people of a community, like health problems, poverty or not having access to education
• their priority: what the government would rather spend money on

EXTRA READING
River Seine to star in Opening Ceremony
Wallace pasted over King’s portrait
Protesters hurl soup at Mona Lisa

QUICK QUIZ
1. What are Parisians protesting against?
2. What would they have liked to see the $2.2 billion river cleaning money spent on instead?
3. Why did the opening ceremony rehearsal get postponed?
4. How many boats will athletes travel on down the Seine as part of the ceremony?
5. Which dangerous bacteria was found in the water of the Seine when it was recently tested?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Money well spent?
What do you think was the French Government’s main motivation in cleaning up the River Seine in the first place? List three of your top reasons;

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Does spending $2.2 billion on this project justify this motivation?

What could this money have been spent on to show off Paris and help the needy at the same time?

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Rather than pooping in the river, what could be another way for the Parisians to protest and get their point across, without further polluting the river running through their city?

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Still not clean!
These activities will help students engage with the content, develop empathy for different viewpoints, and practice their literacy skills in a reflective and creative manner.

Read the article aloud to the students, or have them take turns reading sections of the article.
Pause after key points to discuss and ensure understanding. For example, ask questions like:

• Why are Parisians angry about the money spent on cleaning the Seine?
• What are the problems still affecting the Seine’s water quality?
• What are the plans for the River Seine during the Olympics?
• Why do some people believe the money could have been spent better elsewhere?

Group Discussion:
Divide the students into small groups and ask them to discuss the following questions:

• Do you think the French government should have spent the money to clean the River Seine? Why or why not?
• How do you feel about the protesters’ planned actions? Do you think they have a valid point?
• If you were in charge of the clean-up, what would you do differently?

Reflective Writing:
Ask the students to write a short reflection on one of the following prompts:

• Imagine you are a resident of Paris. Write a letter to the mayor expressing your thoughts on the clean-up efforts and the planned protest.
• Write a diary entry as an athlete planning to compete in the Olympics, describing your feelings about the uncertainty of the swimming events in the Seine.
• Reflect on how governments should balance spending on large events like the Olympics with addressing social issues. What are the pros and cons of spending money on events versus social problems?

Optional Extension:
After writing, ask the students to create a poster that represents their viewpoint. They can draw images, use symbols, and write slogans to express their opinions on the clean-up of the River Seine and the protest.

Once the students have finished their posters, have them share their work with the class. This will help reinforce their understanding and allow them to practice their oral communication skills.

Editing Prompt: Can you edit and Uplevel your writing to make it more engaging for the audience?

• Read it aloud to check that it is clear and makes sense.
• Read it aloud again with your writer’s voice. Focus on listening to your expression and fluency, and make sure the punctuation and sentence structure match how you want it to sound so the audience can read it the same way.
• Check your VCOP targets (vocabulary, connectives, openers, and punctuation) to see if they will capture the audience’s attention.