A video shows the moment French riot police clashed with protesters as they moved in to evict hundreds of migrants from a Paris theatre. Scuffles broke out as officers tried to enter the Gaîté Lyrique – one of the French capital’s most historic arts venues – in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Some 450 migrants – mainly young men – had taken over the theatre after its management had given them free tickets to a “Refugees Welcome in France” conference in December. The theatre was soon transformed into a dosshouse with makeshift beds placed around the stage and auditorium.
The occupation of the theatre forced the management to cancel performances, costing the company thousands of euros in revenue.
CRS (Republican Security Companies) officers gathered outside the theatre at 5am on Tuesday, and then moved in at 6am.
Images posted to social media show massed ranks of riot police pushing against a wall of protesters.
They were eventually able to clear a path to the theatre’s entrance, gaining access to the inside of the building.
“There were immediate clashes with protesters who were shouting at them, and trying to stop them getting into the theatre,” said a local resident who was at the scene.
“Police responded with tear gas and baton charges, and there were some injuries.”
Police decided to take action after the theatre’s management expressed fears that “untenable promiscuity” inside the theatre was leading to an increase in violence.
Reports had also emerged of aggressive behaviour and the use of drugs by the migrants.
In December, the manager of a local business told the Times, “They hang around outside my terrace, smoking joints and fighting among themselves.”
The evacuation of the building was ordered by a judge at the Paris Administrative Court on February 13.
However, the council initially refused to involve the police to enforce the court order.
The migrants have been supported by activists from the group Collectif des Jeunes du Parc de Belleville.
