Paris theatre plans to reopen following 99 day occupation

A Paris theatre which was forced to close in December after being occupied by hundreds of unhoused young people has said it is working on a reopening plan after a mass eviction by police at the end of last month.

However, La Gaîté Lyrique said those who had been living in the theatre were now “on the streets” in “conditions we deplore”.

The eviction of those occupying the venue began on 18 March. Police conducting the operation used of tear gas and batons amid protests from the occupiers and supporters, according to a report from Info Migrants.

The activist group Collectif des Jeunes du Parc de Belleville has claimed that many of those evicted have since faced further expulsion from an area along the Seine River.

“The entire team is still in shock,” said La Gaîté Lyrique on its website.

“More than 400 young people are currently sleeping outside. Who can be satisfied with such a situation? Not us.”

‘Tipping point’

Weeks before the eviction, the venue warned that its staff would be forced to abandon the building unless authorities took action to provide accommodation for those staying there.

The theatre, which is owned by Paris Council, said it was “no longer capable of managing, maintaining and operating its building”, describing the situation as being “at a tipping point” due to “untenable overcrowding” that had resulted in “increasingly severe and frequent violence”.

Management at La Gaîté Lyrique, which remains closed, said it was working on a reopening plan with the City of Paris and is “determined” to revive its Fabrique de l’époque project, which was a trigger for the venue’s occupation.

The occupation began on 10 December, after La Gaîté Lyrique hosted a free conference called “Reinventing the welcome for refugees in France”.

Since 2023, the project, which works to secure housing, food, and employment solutions for vulnerable individuals, has seen hundreds of people attend the venue each week to receive food aid and participate in community-building activities.

“This project, with its cultural and social mission of public interest, seems even more necessary today,” said the theatre.