On Monday, August 11th, Paris City Hall launched a campaign targeted at padlock-crazy lovers. The message: “Our Bridges Can No Longer Withstand Your Gestures of Love.” The idea: take a selfie instead, and share it with #LoveWithoutLocks. Your image will appear on a special website alongside other enlightened lovers who choose not to vandalize the city’s most cherished heritage sites.

This is an important first step in the fight against the padlocks now endangering two of the most important bridges in Paris, and spreading to 11 others along the Seine. It’s an effort to educate people and change their point of view.

In Paris, some critics of the campaign call it “soft” and “ineffective.” And indeed, three months into the heavy tourist season here—the Pont des Arts now with over 15 collapsing panels—one wonders how this selfie initiative will even make a dent in the problem. Still, we hope #LoveWithoutLocks is the beginning of an aggressive campaign against “love locks” and that Mayor Hidalgo will now take a stronger stance on protecting the UNESCO World Heritage site along the Seine. In the meantime, we will continue to push for a ban on “love locks,” as it seems the only way to end this practice once and for all.

Help us, along with Paris City Hall, to promote this lock-free expression of love. Share the hashtag LoveWithoutLocks and the official website, lovewithoutlocks.paris.fr.

Sign our petition to ban “love locks.”