as Paris 2024 approaches, street vendors are in the sights of the police headquarters

They are standing in front of the security gates, street vendors wave small Eiffel Towers in front of the tourists. Others are squatting and installing key rings, pins and magnets on pieces of cardboard on the ground. A few meters away, gambling also takes place illegally.

Off the microphone only, these street vendors tell their story. They are often young men from central Africa: Senegal, Gabon, Mali, Chad, Cameroon. Some of them transited via Spain before arriving in France and the Champ-de-Mars. They are often in small groups, chaperoned by a “hood” as they call it. He is a sort of gang leader who warns the others when the police arrive.

Paltry income

A permanent game of cat and mouse is taking place with the police. Several times a day, these sellers flee with their bundle of goods on their backs so as not to have them confiscated. One of them explains that he gets his supplies from Aubervilliers where, for example, a bag of a hundred Eiffel Towers costs 7 euros. But the income behind it is derisory, 15 to 20 euros per day. A salesman explains that in one hour, he has “won only one euro”. “People don’t buy because there is a crisis and wars,” does he think. In addition, “it’s raining”adds the street seller, and this does not help these people exposed to the vagaries of the weather because tourists are less inclined to stay to buy souvenirs.

Some tourists stop anyway. They are attracted by the price. For example, a key ring is sold seven to eight times cheaper than in small souvenir shacks nearby. The price is ultra-competitive because there are no charges to pay and reduced margins. Lucas, a Brazilian tourist, was tempted by five mini Eiffel Towers. He is not completely serene despite everything: “We had been talking for 15 minutes, five people stopped us and asked us if we wanted to buy something. It’s all the time, it bothers us. There are a lot of tourists here, so it’s not is not surprising… but the way he speaks to us: ‘Wooow, look at that!’ I think because of that we don’t feel safe.”

200 kg of goods seized daily

The Paris police headquarters wants to bring a little serenity to this very touristy place in the capital, which has been in the media in recent months after two rapes. However, delinquency has fallen according to prefect Laurent Nunez with 49% fewer attacks since June and thefts down 29%. A mobile police station is also set up every afternoon and 100 to 200 police officers are present on site at all times.

Divisional Commissioner Cyril Lacombe’s teams are advancing on foot around the square in front of the Eiffel Tower but the street vendors have already left. “Our job is not to just make them leaveexplains Cyril Lacombe. It is also seizures and arrests. We have a simplified procedure which has been validated by the prosecutor which allows the seizure of objects and which allows us to remain on the ground.” The objects but also the food seized are then destroyed. In their escape, sellers use all types of hiding places: technical hatches, lamppost pillars or trash cans. Around 200 kg of goods are seized every day.

The strategy is to attack the wallet directly. “Our technique is really to seize their equipment so that it increases the cost of their activity,” introduces the commissioner.

“These are people who are not aggressive with tourists. They would even tend to denounce thieves.”

Divisional Commissioner Cyril Lacombe

at franceinfo

“But what is true is that there should be more businesses around the Eiffel Tower in relation to the number of tourists,” believes the commissioner.

At the time of the Christmas markets, Cyril Lacombe notes that the number of street vendors is decreasing and has been decreasing overall for years. There is no more according to him. In the distance, behind the bushes, young men are watching the paths of the police, one of them whispers: “It’s not a life, if I had papers, I would do another job.”