Lefty managers of a Parisian theater occupied by hundreds of homeless African migrants will leave the building due to sex -related violence.
They say that the crisis in De Gaîté Lyrique – one of the most historic art locations in the French capital – is now 'so explosive' that is withdrawing on Friday.
About 200 mainly young men moved last December when management gave them free tickets for a 'refugees welcome to the French' conference.
But when the conference was ready, the migrants, who mainly came from the former West African colonies of France, refused to leave the location.
Performances were quickly canceled – the theater losing thousands of income – because improvised beds were placed around the stage and auditorium.
446 people now live in illegally, most of them claim that they are minors under the age of 18 who earn permanent accommodation.
But local officials have insisted that they are adults and that most of them are known to the authorities and slept on the street before they entered the theater.
The Collectif des Jeunes du Parc de Belleville, the group that organized the occupation, closed the age test as 'racist and expeditive'.
About 200 mainly young men moved to the Paris Theater last December, when management gave them free tickets for a 'refugees welcome to France' conference
There are now 446 people who live in illegally, most of them claim that they are minors younger than 18 who deserve permanent accommodation
Local officials have insisted that they are adults and that most of them are known to the authorities and slept on the street before they entered the theater
The 19th-century building is owned by the city council and is located in the third district of Paris
This has led to 'untenable promiscuity' that leads to increasing violence, say management, which go bankrupt.
A statement released by them is on Thursday: “Without intervention by the authorities by Friday, Gaîté Lyrique Company and his teams will be forced to leave the building.”
It says that they will suspend the implementation of the contracts of service providers who are responsible for fire safety, security, hygiene and cleanliness, maintenance and waste collection. '
The management warns of an 'explosive and unworthy situation' that “increases in seriousness.”
In addition to battles that break out due to sexual tensions, migrants are seen to act and use drugs.
Employees have succeeded as 'security protectors on the spot, although this is neither their skills nor their job,' says the statement.
Nevertheless, the statement says that the staff also welcomed and sheltered the occupants.
In December, the Council, guided by the socialist way by the socialist way, claims the building, that it was looking for accommodation for the migrants, but that there was no available.
It called on the government to tackle the problem, but President Macron's central cabinet would have ignored the request and is reluctant to get involved in the debacle.
The theater is owned by the city of Paris, which is dominated by socialists and greens.
A judge at the Administrative Court of Paris ordered the evacuation of the building on 13 February, but the council refused to involve the police.
Dozens of migrants, whose majority come from African countries, are seen in an area of the Gaite Lyrique Cultural Center
Daily demonstrations were held on the stairs of the theater, which is known for hosting radical versions
Videos show huge crowds who gather at the 'general assemblies', starting with drums that are beaten and slogans are shocked by megaphones
The migrants are supported by political activists even more links than the management of the theater.
Herself the collectif des Jeunes du Parc de Belleville, after a Paris Park, call them the occupation as part of the 'anti-racist and anti-colonial struggle'.
Local companies have complained about losses as a result of the occupation.
The Bistrot next to the 19th -century location, a popular place for theater visitors to eat and drink before and after shows, has so far reported € 30,000 in lost income.
“They ruin my company,” the manager Elia, himself the daughter of Algerian migrants, told The Times in December.
'They hang around my terrace, smoke joints and fight among themselves. Not only we no longer receive theater visitors because the theater is closed, but we also don't get passers -by. They get afraid of all these young men. '
The building with 1800 seats that houses the current Gaîté Lyrique was built in 1862 and was celebrated for organizing operettas by Jacques Offenbach, the French composer born in Germany, in the 19th century.
On November 1, France strengthened his borders with six of his adjacent Schengen – members – Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland – with raised controls.
The checks were applied to travelers who entered France through land, sea and air routes of all six countries and will last until 1 April 2025- but the authorities have said that they can be expanded further.
A French government declaration stated that the checks were introduced for 'serious threats for public policy, public order and internal safety made by high -level terrorist activities … criminal networks that facilitate irregular migration and smuggling and migration flows that risk infiltration by radicalized individuals'.
