Paris, March 18, 2025 – French police and gendarmes intervened early Tuesday morning to evacuate the Gaîté Lyrique, a cultural venue in Paris that had been occupied for over three months by hundreds of young migrants. The operation, which began shortly before 6 a.m., saw law enforcement forcibly break through protester cordons formed outside the theater by activists supporting the occupation.
According to reports, officers entered the venue at approximately 6:15 a.m. The evacuation order had been issued the previous evening by Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez, citing a “disturbance to public order” as the reason for the removal. Nuñez assured that the migrants would be offered accommodation and that their administrative status would be reviewed.
Clashes and Allegations of Police Violence
The evacuation took place in a tense atmosphere, with left-wing lawmaker Danielle Simonnet condemning what she described as an "extremely violent intervention." She claimed that police used batons against migrants as they were gathering their belongings. Similarly, the advocacy group Utopia 56 accused officers of using force, including tear gas, against the 450 young migrants inside the theater.
However, reports from a journalist on the scene suggested that no major clashes occurred, and the evacuation ultimately proceeded without significant confrontation. Many migrants left the venue carrying only a few personal belongings in bags.
Authorities Offer Housing, Migrants Refuse Relocation
While authorities proposed accommodation solutions, they were reportedly outside Paris, including in the city of Rouen. According to Franceinfo, most of the migrants declined these offers, as they had been demanding recognition as minors entitled to state protection.
The occupation of the Gaîté Lyrique began on December 10, 2024, as part of an effort to highlight the precarious living conditions faced by young migrants in France. With the forced evacuation now complete, attention shifts to the government’s next steps in addressing their demands and ensuring their legal and social status is resolved.
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