PARIS: French police evicted more than 400 migrants on Tuesday who had been squatting inside the Gaite Lyrique theatre in central Paris for more than three months.

Officers began their operation shortly before 6am at the theatre, where hundreds of demonstrators had gathered to protest against the eviction.

Since Dec 10, the migrants, including many unaccompanied minors, had occupied the concert and arts venue as part of their demands for shelter, leading the Gaite Lyrique management to suspend its operations on Dec 17.

A large banner on the Gaite Lyrique read: “400 lives at risk, 80 jobs under threat.” “Shame, shame, shame to authorities who are at war with isolated minors,” demonstrators chanted in solidarity with the migrants, urging local authorities to provide sustainable housing to them rather than force them out.

Police briefly used tear gas at the start of their operation, but overall, the evacuation proceeded without any major incidents. There were 46 arrests and nine people were slightly injured, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told BFM TV.

“We had nowhere to go, we needed a shelter during the cold winter nights. So we had no choice but to occupy the Gaite Lyrique,” said Dialo Aimmedou, who said he was 16 and arrived in France in October 2024.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told France Inter radio on Tuesday that the evacuation had to be done, and that emergency housing had been offered to the migrants. “At this stage, this was the thing to do because the situation was becoming complicated, tense and dangerous inside,” she said.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2025