France in CHAOS: Trucks and vans block Paris roads in protest at cancelled Christmas fair

Angry stallholders caused chaos as they blocked main roads with their lorries and vans after councillors said the market on the Champs-Élysées was too “mediocre” in quality for sophisticated French tastes. 

More than 271 miles of traffic built up as tempers reached boiling point over the council’s decision to vote against review French “funfair king” Marcel Campion’s contract to manage the fair. 

Paris City Hall said it “wants to focus on offering visitors and Parisians more attractive and innovative events that will enhance the Champs-Élysées in a cultural and aesthetic dimension in keeping with this exceptional site. 

“We want local and sustainable products. This is not what we’ve seen. This is why we’re ending it.”

Riot police were deployed on Paris’ western edge to block carnival trucks from entering the city. 

On Friday, Marcel Campion, dubbed the ‘fairground king’ after he founded the market nine years ago, warned officials “Paris will be block” if they failed to overturn their decision. 

He said: “If we can’t set up there, there will be demonstrations every day and we will block Paris.”

Mr Campion said there has been a disagreement over the fine print in the contract as to whether he had a two or six-year deal

But police have already begun to tow away stalls that were set up last week. 

Mr Campion,77, has been running the Christmas far since 2008. The 240-stall fair attracts some 15million visitors a year, creating 2,000 jobs. 

He has denied the market sells poor quality goods, saying: “We have a six-year contract with the city which is being called into question after only two years”.