African migrants occupy a theatre in Paris; the situation has deteriorated so badly that theatre managers are now abandoning the building for safety reasons

The left-wing managers of the Gaîté Lyrique theatre in Paris abandoned the building on Friday due to the escalating crisis caused by the occupation of hundreds of homeless African migrants, who were initially invited to a free “Refugees Welcome in France” conference in December and refused to leave afterwards.

La Gaîté Lyrique has a rich history, with the original theatre opening on 3 September 1862.  The building was refurbished from 2004 to 2011 with the building’s original facade, entrance, and foyer being preserved in the current structure.

About 200 mainly young men moved into the Gaîté Lyrique last December when the management gave them free tickets to a ‘Refugees Welcome in France’ conference.  But when the conference was finished, the migrants refused to leave the venue.  As of 21 February 2025, 446 people were counted as living in the Parisian theatre.

The occupation has led to the theatre being closed with scheduled events being cancelled, postponed or relocated to partner locations until further notice, resulting in significant revenue losses.  The migrants’ presence has led to increasing violence, including sex-related violence, and has also been marked by the presence of drug dealing and use.

The management has stated that they will be forced to leave the building by Friday, 28 February, if the authorities do not intervene and will suspend essential services such as fire safety, security, hygiene and maintenance, warning of an “explosive and undignified situation” that is “increasing in severity.”

The situation in the [theatre] is explosive, with untenable promiscuity, and the violence linked to this promiscuity is increasing in severity and frequency. Several fire alarms have taken place in recent days. The last serious incident was the start of a fire in the occupied spaces on 21 February which required the intervention of the Paris firefighters and the national police.

On 25 February, the employees, who have repeatedly expressed their full confidence and support for the management, exercised their right to withdraw, assessing that the situation now constitutes a serious and imminent danger for them, for the people who occupy the place and for the building.

Without intervention of the authorities by Friday, the SAS Lyric Guard and its teams will be forced to leave the building and suspend the execution of the contracts of the service providers in charge of fire safety, safety, hygiene and cleanliness, maintenance, waste collection.Cornered, the Gaîté Lyrique called on the authorities for help, Press release 26 February 2025, Gaîté Lyrique

The migrants, who claim to be minors under the age of 18 and deserving of permanent housing, are mostly from France’s former West African colonies.  Their occupation is being supported by activists, who are even more left-wing than the theatre’s management and who view the occupation as part of the “anti-racist and anti-colonial struggle.”

Local officials have disputed the migrants’ claims of being minors, stating that most of them are adults and were known to the authorities before entering the theatre and have called for the government to address the issue.  President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist cabinet has been reluctant to get involved.

The occupation has also significantly impacted local businesses, with the bistro next to the theatre reporting €30,000 in lost revenue.  The manager, herself the daughter of Algerian migrants, has expressed concerns about the migrants’ behaviour and its effect on her business. “They’re ruining my business,” she said.

“They hang around outside my terrace, smoking joints and fighting among themselves. Not only do we no longer get theatregoers because the theatre is shut but we don’t get passers-by either. They’re being frightened away by all these young men.”

The City of Paris, which owns the building, has been criticised for its handling of the situation.  On 14 February, a judge at the Paris Administrative Court ordered the evacuation of the building within a month.  However, the Socialist-led council has refused to involve the police, leading to a stalemate in the situation.

Sources for this article include:

• Left-wing theatre managers who invited 200 migrants to a free show will abandon the building and face bankruptcy as refugees still refuse to leave after three months and spark wave of sex-related violence, Daily Mail, 27 February 2025
• Occupied for 79 days by migrants, the management of the Gaîté Lyrique is taking a back seat, Le Figaro, 26 February 2025

Featured image is taken from ‘Gaîté Lyrique: What we know about the occupation of the premises by homeless migrants’, 20 Minutes, 19 December 2024