Paris Olympics: France President Puts a Stop to Major Streetside Relocation to Preserve Cultural Heritage

As Paris gears up for the 2024 Olympics, tensions escalated in the host city after the notice was issued to displace bookstall owners along the Seine River. With the Parisian police demanding the evacuation to make way for the opening ceremony, it led to an upstart among the stall owners. While the authorities took to cite security concerns, protestors had argued that their stalls form an integral part of Parisian heritage and livelihoods.

In lieu of this, Parisian booksellers took to vehemently fight against the removal of their iconic street stands. According to the latest updates, French President Emmanuel Macron has intervened to stop the displacement of Paris’ second-hand booksellers’ boxes ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics and it signifies a sliver of Francophile life being preserved.

President Macron salvages Parisian Bouquinistes just in time for the Olympics

President Macron released a statement on Tuesday canceling plans to move Paris book stalls alongside the Seine River. As per the recent update, Macron stepped in, informing Paris police and France’s interior minister “to ensure that all booksellers are preserved and that none of them be forced to move.” He instructed the officials to preserve the “bouquinistes” as part of the city’s living heritage of Paris.

The decision came after the booksellers campaigned in numbers actively, resisting the notice for displacement. They took to cite financial struggles which were magnified because of the pandemic, and further restrictions could exacerbate their conditions. The release of Macron’s directive ensures that the security arrangements for the Olympics will now accommodate the presence of the open-air bookstalls, which will remain in circulation. With this cultural amelioration, we doff our hat to El Presidente Macron for this bold move.

Macron, a messiah for Paris? His well thought out notice – divulged

President Macron’s decision was an elemental step in ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage as the world gears for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Previously, the city had planned to remove 570 “stationary boxes” because of security considerations, with a fear that it may be used illegally to hide explosive devices amidst the event. Some of these boxes are more than a century old, functioning as sanctuaries for booksellers.

Read More: As the World Gears Up for Paris Olympics, Locals Rise in Resistance

When the notice went on air, it created an uproar as booksellers were concerned about the irreparable damage to their age-old stalls. Moreover, the decision to relocate to the ‘bookseller village,’ which the owners believed would lack foot traffic, especially around the Olympics, caused dismay, since it lacked necessary compensation. Now, with the release of Macron’s statement, it has reassured the bookstall owners and allayed all their fears.

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