French police evict 400+ migrants from Paris theatre occupation
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The migrants, including many unaccompanied minors, had settled inside the concert and arts center since December 10, 2024, demanding shelter.
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Police officers are preparing to evict migrants from the Gaîté Lyrique theatre in central Paris. (@S_Legrain, X)
Reuters on Tuesday reported that French authorities evicted over 400 migrants from the Gaîté Lyrique theatre in central Paris, where they had been squatting for more than three months. The operation began before dawn, with police moving in around 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) to clear the occupied venue.
The migrants, including many unaccompanied minors, had settled inside the concert and arts center since December 10, 2024, demanding shelter. Their presence led theatre management to halt operations on December 17. As officers carried out the eviction, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside in protest, condemning the move and urging authorities to provide long-term housing solutions instead of forced removals.
A banner displayed outside the theatre read: "400 lives at risk, 80 jobs under threat." Protesters voiced their outrage, chanting: "Shame, shame, shame to authorities who are at war with isolated minors."
Évacuation en cours de la Gaité Lyrique à Paris, occupée depuis plus de trois mois par plus de 400 jeunes migrants. pic.twitter.com/kBSUx6beLL
— Luc Auffret (@LucAuffret) March 18, 2025
Authorities used tear gas briefly at the beginning of the operation, but the evacuation proceeded without major disturbances. According to Paris police chief Laurent Nunez, 46 people were arrested, and nine sustained minor injuries.
Speaking to Reuters, Dialo Aimmedou, a 16-year-old migrant who arrived in France in October 2024, said: "We had nowhere to go, we needed a shelter during the cold winter nights. So we had no choice but to occupy the Gaîté Lyrique."
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, in an interview with France Inter radio, defended the eviction, stating that it was necessary as conditions inside the theatre had become increasingly "complicated, tense, and dangerous." She added that emergency housing was made available to those affected.
