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CHRISTMAS

Paris carnival workers threaten to strike if Christmas market doesn’t go ahead

Fairground workers on the Champs-Elysees have promised to bring Paris to a standstill if the Christmas market doesn't go ahead this year.

Paris carnival workers threaten to strike if Christmas market doesn't go ahead
Photo: AFP

Many would argue that Christmas just isn't Christmas in Paris without the Champs-Elysées market and fairground. 

And they’ll find out on Friday if that fate awaits the French capital this year, with the Paris police prefecture set to decide on whether it will allow the event to take place. 

Paris officials already ruled in the summer that the event wouldn't go ahead, at least not if it's organized by Marcel Campion, the so-called “King of fairground workers”, as it has been in recent years. 

But Campion on Thursday threatened “to block Paris” if the decision wasn't reversed.

Campion, who is set to meet with Paris officials on Friday, said that there has been a disagreement over the fine print in the contract as to whether it was a 2-year or 6-year deal, according to French media reports. 

In any case, Campion and his army of workers have no intentions of leaving quietly. 

They’ve already been unceremoniously towed away by police after trying to set up stalls earlier this week. 

And it won’t end there, at least according to Campion.

He has threatened that if he is not given the green light by the city’s officials on Friday, then he will stage protests and block off major roads in Paris to bring it to a standstill. 

“If the event is cancelled then we will start protests on Monday and hold them every day. Paris will be blocked,” Campion told reporters. 

He added that up to 2,000 jobs were at risk if the event was cancelled. 

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“We don’t want compensation, we want our jobs. Most people here do not have a cheque waiting for them at the end of the month,” he added.

It remains unclear if the Paris officials will authorize anyone at all to organize markets on the Champs-Elysees, or indeed if the event will be cancelled totally. 

CHRISTMAS

Thousands more families in Denmark seek Christmas charity

A significant increase in families have sought Christmas help from the Danish Red Cross compared to last winter.

Thousands more families in Denmark seek Christmas charity

Higher process for food, electricity, gas and fuel are being felt by vulnerable families in Denmark, driving more to apply for Christmas packages offered by the Red Cross, broadcaster DR writes.

The NGO said in a statement that more people than ever before have applied for its Christmas help or julehjælp assistance for vulnerable families.

While 15,000 people applied for the charity last year, the number has already reached 20,000 in 2022.

“We are in an extraordinary situation this year where a lot more people have to account for every single krone to make their finances work,” Danish Red Cross general secretary Anders Ladekarl said in the press statement.

“For many more, their finances no longer work, and this is unfortunately reflected by these numbers,” he said.

The Red Cross Christmas assistance consists of a voucher worth 900 kroner redeemable at Coop stores or, in some stores, a hamper consisting of products.

READ ALSO: These are Denmark’s deadlines for sending international mail in time for Christmas

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