Ali Akbar, the final newspaper vendor on the public sale in Paris, adorned by Emmanuel Macron | EUROtoday

Among the group of recipients of the Legion of Honor or the National Order of Merit lined up on Wednesday night within the Elysée reception corridor, Ali Akbar stood out. “Very moved”the final newspaper vendor on the Paris public sale market acquired from the fingers of President Emmanuel Macron, beneath the eyes of his spouse and kids, the insignia of the National Order of Merit. “That’s it, I’m a knight, I succeeded”he confided, overwhelmed, on the finish of the ceremony.

For greater than fifty years, this Pakistani with a chic silhouette has roamed the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, sporting a baseball cap, a pile of copies of the World on the arm. But if he is a star on this nook of the 6e and sevene districts, few are those that know its “incredible destiny”recounted for the event by the Head of State.

Born into a really poor household, a couple of kilometers from Islamabad, in 1954, he skilled compelled labor from the age of 6 and violence. At 18, he joined the service provider navy and traveled the world aboard a cargo ship. A grueling two-year journey that took him to Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, and eventually Paris, which he launched into within the early Seventies, on the age of 20. In a avenue within the capital, he meets Georges Bernier, alias “Professor Choron”who affords to promote Hara-kiri And Charlie Hebdo on the outcry.

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https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2026/01/29/emmanuel-macron-decore-ali-le-dernier-vendeur-de-journaux-a-la-criee-a-paris_6664573_823448.html