The matter was discussed at the first session of the French Academy to be chaired by its new permanent secretary Amin Maalouf, during which they called for guarantees and compensation to be put in place.

"The French Academy has shown itself to be very concerned about the threats weighing on the future of second-hand booksellers on the banks of the Seine, who for centuries have constituted an important element of the cultural heritage of our country," a statement said.

"If dismantling measures were to be decided in the run-up to the Olympic Games, we ask the competent authorities to make a commitment now to put the emblematic boxes of books back in their place, identically, as soon as the end of the Games, and to compensate second-hand booksellers for the damage suffered."

The Council of Paris has approved the move of the stalls and last week Paris Chief Prefect of Police Laurent Nunez held a meeting  with the Council and the booksellers in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

He indicated that the presence of the stalls would "pose a number of crowd management difficulties" if they were left in place during the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

"We agreed with the Prefect and the representatives of booksellers to carry out tests on the different kinds on boxes," Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan told Euronews television.

"Obviously we want this to be for as limited a time as possible to allow the booksellers activity on a daily basis to continue within the framework of the Games."

Second Hand Booksellers Association vice-president Pascal Corseaux added: "We are not closed to having dialogue, but at the moment our position is to be against the move.

"We are well aware that all of this is extremely fragile and when it comes to going back it will be very, very difficult."

An online petitition through the Change.org portal in support of the booksellers was launched in July when the idea of moving the stalls was first announced.

It has currently attracted over 169,000 signatures.