In a city defined by its fleeting digital trends and rapid modernization, the Élysée Palace paused recently, to honor a man who has spent half a century moving at the speed of a stroll. Ali Akbar, the 73-year-old native of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, was officially knighted by President Emmanuel Macron, receiving the National Order of Merit, one of France’s highest civilian honors.
To the intellectuals of the Latin Quarter and the espresso-sippers at Café de Flore, Akbar is more than a vendor; he is the “ccent of the 6th arrondissement,” a living relic of a bygone Parisian era.
Ali Akbar was awarded the Order National of Merit by President Macron yesterday. He is the last street vendor of newspapers in Paris. For decades he sell Le Monde, Charlie Hebdo or Le Soir on the streets of St Germain.
Ali arrived in France from Pakistan in 1970. pic.twitter.com/wHg6BN0pBN
— France in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi (@FrenchEmbassyZA) January 29, 2026
From Rawalpindi to the Sorbonne
Akbar’s journey began in 1973, when he arrived in France, fleeing poverty in search of a better life for his seven siblings. His start was anything but glamorous; he slept under the bridges of the Seine and worked as a dishwasher before finding his calling on the streets of the Left Bank.
With the help of a student vendor, he began hawking copies of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and the establishment daily Le Monde. In those early days, he was one of dozens; today, he is believed to be the very last of his kind in France.
The “Human Algorithm” of Saint-Germain
What earned Akbar the affection of the French public wasn’t just his stamina, but his wit. Known for inventing his own hyperbolic headlines to grab the attention of distracted philosophers and tourists, he became a “human algorithm,” knowing exactly which regular at Les Deux Magots wanted which supplement before they even asked.
Emmanuel Macron a remis mercredi soir les insignes de l’ordre national du Mérite à Ali Akbar, le crieur de journaux de Saint-Germain-des-Prés, à Paris. pic.twitter.com/4oGLPqv9g2
— INA.fr (@Inafr_officiel) January 29, 2026
A Legacy Beyond the Page
Despite the decline of print media, where he now sells roughly 30 papers a day compared to the 200 of his prime, Akbar refuses to retire. Living on a modest pension and running a small food truck near the Jardin du Luxembourg, he continues his daily rounds for the love of the “human connection.”
For Ali Akbar, the medal is a “balm for the many wounds” of a life defined by migration and struggle.
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