Paris seine booksellers say wrong to ban them during olympic games

THE MAIRIE SAYS THEY HAVE TO GO AS A SECURITY MEASURE BUT BOOKSELLERS SAY IT SENDS ‘A CULTURALLY NEGATIVE MESSAGE’ The president of the Paris bookseller union has condemned the city’s

decision to remove riverside booksellers’ stands ahead of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, saying it sends a “culturally negative” message. The Paris Mairie voted in early October for

the removal of the bouquinistes and their shops during the 2024 Games. More than 600 stalls will need to be removed, affecting hundreds of sellers. “The mairie is sending a culturally

negative message. I am extremely saddened,” said Jérôme Callais, president of a bookseller association to which around 200 bouquinistes belong. The second-hand book dealers typically sell

along the Seine with some of their stands dating back more than 100 years. However, the Games’ Opening Ceremony is set to take place partly on the riverside with millions of visitors

expected, raising concerns about the bookshops’ security. Laurent Nuñez, the Paris’ police prefect, told the mairie committee that the bookshops could trigger potential stampedes because of

their disposition, and could also serve as potential hiding places for terrorist bombs. “The police prefecture is focusing on guaranteeing security [of the events],” he said on X (formerly

Twitter). The booksellers had received support to remain in their positions from figures within the writing world, who signed an open letter in _LE MONDE_ in August. Many also signed A

PETITION in July, which asked the Paris police prefecture to reconsider its position. READ MORE: FINANCIALLY TOUGH BUT FULFILLING: A LIFE SELLING BOOKS BY THE SEINE Credit: Théophile Larcher

“98% of us wanted the stalls to remain,” said Mr Callais. “It feels like there is opposition between culture and sport.” POTENTIAL DESTRUCTION OF THE ‘SERENADE OF PARIS’ Some owners fear

that the removal operation will destroy their stalls in the process, considering some are more than 100 years old. Some owners also fear that they may not be able to return. Opposition MPs

have even asked that the removal operation be supervised by conservation professionals, _ACTUPARIS_ reports. The Paris Mairie has agreed to this request but has not provided a schedule as

yet. Mr Callais estimated the overall cost of the procedure to be €1.5 million. The mairie said that it will pay for the removal. The Académie française has also leant its support to the

booksellers, saying that it is "very worried" about their future, and calling for the operators to be "compensated" for the risk to their business. It has also called for

the Mairie to "commit to putting these emblematic booksellers back in their place, identically, as soon as the Games finish". In a statement, the Académie wrote: "[The

booksellers] have for centuries constituted an important cultural heritage element of our country". Similarly, Mr Callais said: “We are the third most-popular of Paris’ symbols, after

the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame’s cathedral. We are the postcard of Paris. The bouquinistes are like a piece of sheet music. Each quay is a stave, each stall is a note. Together we are the

sheet music of the serenade of Paris." RELATED ARTICLES PARIS LOOKS FOR NEW ‘BOUQUINISTES’ TO RUN BOOK CABINS NEXT TO SEINE GOOD RESPONSE TO CALL FOR NEW ‘BOUQUINISTE’ BOOKSELLERS NEXT

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