Emmanuel Macron to face 's**t flashmob' after vowing to swim in the Seine ahead of the Olympics

Ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer, the government has spent £1.2 billion cleaning the River Seine - but disgruntled Parisians are preparing an act of rebellion.

The move to clean the river is so sporting events can take place there like in the previous games Paris hosted back in 1900, but last year a pre-Olympics swimming event was cancelled due to a sewage problem leading people to question whether the waters will be clean in time for the Olympics (26 July-11 August).

Both French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo pledged to swim in the city's iconic river to reassure the public the investment in cleaning the waters was worth it.

"You bet I will," Macron told reporters earlier this year but added: "I will do it. But I won’t give you the date, or you risk being there."

Meanwhile, Hidalgo recently gave the date she would take a dip: June 23.

Following this, the hashtag #JeChieDansLaSeineLe23Juin, which translates to ‘I sh** in the Seine on June 23’ began to trend on X, formerly Twitter in the past week.

The plan is for participants to defecate - you guessed it - in the river, in protest. A website with the same name has also been created where protesters can input in what area of the river they are planning to relieve themselves.

"Because after putting us in sh*t it is up to them to bathe in our sh*t," the website slogan reads.

Various memes and reactions to the protest have been circulating online which include a fake image of President Macron standing in the river covered in sewage, while another was an edited image of toilets being 'installed' in the river.

Meanwhile, a post provided the event details which read: "On Sunday, June 23, we expect many of you to come and take a sh** in the Seine!"

Tickets are "Without reservation, free access" and Pont Marie in the 4th arrondissement was listed as the location.

Furthermore, it is not just sporting events that are expected to take place on the Seine as the opening ceremony is set to happen there too - making the first one to occur outside a stadium.

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