As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished, especially when you’re dealing with people who have nothing to lose. Today, the Daily Mail reports that a leftist theatre in Paris is facing bankruptcy after it threw open its doors to 250 African migrants for a free conference – only to have them refuse to leave.
A theatre in Paris which is known for its radical shows and exhibitions has been occupied by more than 250 African migrants after they were let in for a free event five weeks ago.
The Gaîté Lyrique theatre in Paris staged the conference, entitled Reinventing the welcome for refugees in France, on December 10.
It involved talks hosted by academics from top universities and Red Cross officials, and saw activists welcome in the migrants.
But when the conference was finished, the migrants, who mainly come from France’s former west African colonies, refused to leave the venue.
Photos from inside the theatre show hundreds of migrants sleeping on poll tables and other furniture while they charge phones and use the theatre’s facilities. They appear to have no intention of leaving – and the management of Gaîté Lyrique say they numbers have now risen to 300.
An activist group called Collectif des Jeunes du Parc de Belleville, led the African migrants to the theatre for the free concert and now seem to be supporting the occupation. They have denounced age-testing of migrants – necessary because minors are automatically entitles to housing and support – as “racist and expeditive”.
This is a significant point for the authorities because the migrants occupying the theatre are mostly men who initially had claimed to be under 18 years old, but who were found to be adults following age assessments, the Mail reported.
It seems most likely from the many photographs shared of those occupying the theatre that most are, in fact, adults. That doesn’t stop the anarchists hanging flags proclaiming that minors must be housed.
Le Figaro in a news piece that seemed decidedly unsympathetic said that “the famous Parisian performance hall, located in the 3rd arrondissement, has had to suspend its programming since December 10, the day that a group of migrants, gathered around the collective Jeunes du Parc de Belleville, decided to squat there.”
The Gaîté Lyrique refuses to throw these people out, considering it “unthinkable” to “throw them out on the street (…) in the middle of winter”, the establishment emphasizes, Le Figaro reports.
It added that the theatre was at risk of bankruptcy with “heavy operating losses and the weakening of the economic model – which is based on nearly 70 % of its own revenue and 30 % of subsidies from the City”. At the beginning of December, David Robert, spokesperson for the institution, estimated the cost of the cancellations of private and public events at “several hundred thousand euros in direct losses”.
The theatre insists that it is up to the local authorities to provide housing for the migrants who are now occupying its building,’ but adds that “the sanitary conditions are deteriorating day after day and the teams are facing this situation alone”.
‘Although this occupation is forced, it is unthinkable for the Gaîté Lyrique to throw these people out onto the street in the middle of winter,’ the statement added.
Pro-immigration groups say the theatre has become a focal point for the “antiracist and anticolonial struggle” – and assist at daily demonstrations at the theatre.
However the regional authorities said in December that: ‘This is an illegal occupation of a building by recognised migrants” – and called on the government for assistance but found none forthcoming.
The Daily Mail says local businesses have also complained of losses due to the occupation.
The bistro next to the 19th century venue, a popular spot for theatregoers to eat and drink before and after shows, has reported €30,000 in lost revenue so far.
‘They are ruining my business,’ the manager Elia, herself the daughter of Algerian migrants, told The Times.
‘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.’
No-one is clear at this point what the next steps for the theatre, the migrants, or the authorities are. But the ongoing occupation speaks volumes about the consequences of inviting people in who may have no intention of leaving.