France’s last newspaper hawker to receive national honour

Ali Akbar, believed to be the last newspaper hawker in France—and possibly all of Europe—has spent more than five decades walking the streets of Paris’s Left Bank, selling newspapers and loudly announcing the day’s headlines.

Now, his decades-long dedication to this vanishing trade is set to be officially recognized. President Emmanuel Macron, who once purchased papers from Akbar as a student, will award him the prestigious Order of Merit next month.

“When I started in 1973, there were 35 or 40 hawkers in Paris,” Akbar said. “Now, I’m the only one left. It became too discouraging. Everything is digital now. People just want to check their phones.”

Today, Akbar roams the cafés of Saint-Germain, selling around 30 copies of Le Monde daily. He keeps half the cover price but earns nothing on unsold papers. Decades ago, before the internet era, he could sell 80 copies within an hour of publication.

“In the old days, people would crowd around looking for the paper. Now I have to chase clients just to sell one,” he added.

Despite the decline, Akbar remains passionate. “I’m a joyous person and completely free. This job makes me independent—no one gives me orders. That’s why I keep doing it.”

At 72, Akbar is a beloved local figure. “I first came here in the 1960s and grew up with Ali,” said one longtime resident. “He’s like a brother. He knows everyone and is so much fun.”

Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Akbar arrived in Europe in the late 1960s, initially working on a cruise ship from Amsterdam. After docking in Rouen in 1972, he settled in Paris the following year and obtained French residency in the 1980s.

“I wasn’t a hippie, but I knew many,” Akbar said with a laugh. “On my way to Europe, I was in Afghanistan where some tried to get me to smoke hashish. I said no—I had a mission, and it wasn’t to spend a month sleeping in Kabul!”

Saint-Germain, once a hub for intellectuals and artists, has brought Akbar into contact with many notable figures. Elton John once treated him to tea at Brasserie Lipp, and outside Sciences Po university, he has crossed paths with generations of students, including a young Emmanuel Macron.

Reflecting on the changing neighborhood, Akbar lamented: “The atmosphere isn’t the same. Back then, there were publishers, writers, actors, and musicians everywhere. The place had soul. Now, it’s just tourist-town. The soul is gone.” He chuckled as he spoke.