Parisian street bookstores to remain open during the Olympics

The 450-year-old open-air bookstores in Paris, France, will remain open during the 2024 Paris Olympics (July 26 - August 11). Initially, the French government had planned to temporarily remove the stands during the Games to ensure security for the opening ceremony and aesthetics on the Seine River, but has since canceled the move.

French President Emmanuel Macron has canceled plans to remove the Bouquinistes along the Seine in preparation for the Olympic opening ceremony, the Elysee Palace said Wednesday. "The president has asked the minister of the interior and the head of the Paris metropolitan police to preserve all the bookstores and not to force them to relocate," Macron said, explaining that the government had been unable to reach an agreement with the bookstore operators. Instead, he ordered increased security measures along the Seine, which is lined with bookstores.

The Paris metropolitan police had notified Bouquiniste operators last year to remove their stalls before the opening ceremony of this year's Olympics, citing concerns that the bookstalls could block the view of the opening ceremony or be used as a place to plant explosives. But the bookstore owners protested, saying the disruption threatened their livelihoods and could damage their stands. Intellectuals also issued a statement saying that the capital's living heritage should not be destroyed by the Olympics.

The French government plans to hold the opening ceremony on the Seine as planned. The capacity for the opening ceremony has been halved from 600,000 to 300,000 for security reasons.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com