The open-air bookstalls that line the River Seine are as symbolic of Paris as the Louvre or the Arc de Triomphe.
But most of the boxy, dark green stalls must be dismantled and temporarily removed before the 2024 Summer Olympics for what officials say are security reasons. The booksellers, known as “les bouquinistes,” have said they will not budge, calling the order issued by the Paris police chief last week an affront to the French capital’s history and soul.
“Paris without the bouquinistes is like Venice without the gondolas,” said Jean-Pierre Mathias, 76, who has had a stall along the Seine for about four decades.