Paris Booksellers Clash with Olympic Organizers Over Seine View

Booksellers in Paris are protesting against plans to remove their stalls along the River Seine for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics due to security concerns. The bouquinistes, who make up the largest open-air book market in Europe, argue that this move threatens to erase a symbol of the city. While the authorities have offered to pay for the costs of removing the stalls and proposed a temporary relocation to a "bookseller village," the booksellers believe the proposed location is not viable and no other compensation has been offered. The bouquinistes have been selling texts along the Seine for centuries and have been financially impacted by recent events such as the gilets jaunes protests, transport strikes, and the COVID-19 pandemic.