Playing Charity: A Theater in France Invited Migrants to a Conference - They Came and Stayed in the Building for a Month (11 photos + 1 video)

The event took place on December 10th - since then its organizers have been unable to expel the newcomers who occupied the theater building.





On December 10th, the Gaîté Lyrique theater organized a conference called "Rethinking Refugee Reception in France," inviting 250 newcomers to it free of charge. They were supposed to share their stories of moving to France, listen to intelligent speeches from representatives of the Red Cross and university professors.



The theater building occupied by migrants

The migrants came to the theater with pleasure, but flatly refused to leave the building.





Visitors from West African countries sleep on tables and on the floor, and wander around the theater building during the day.



Interestingly, during this occupation, the number of migrants increased to 300 - apparently, the newcomers shared with their compatriots the idea of ​​how to find a free roof over their heads. All these idlers claim that they are under 18 years old, and according to French law they are considered minors and have the right to accommodation and assistance from local authorities.



However, many are sure that the occupiers are adults, and most of them have long been known to the authorities as homeless people who previously slept on the streets or idly wandered around the city.



Because of the occupiers, the theater's revenue has fallen - no one wants to go to performances in a building teeming with migrants. All performances had to be cancelled until at least January 24. You can also imagine the chaos that is going on inside.



"The sanitary conditions are getting worse every day, and the theater staff are facing this situation alone," the theater's management reported, calling on local authorities to find a solution to the housing problem for the occupiers.



Despite all these problems, the management of the establishment is in no hurry to throw the occupiers out onto the street. The theater hopes that the migrants will leave the building themselves, but something tells us that this will not happen. Moreover, crowds of demonstrators flock to the theater building every day, adding even more confusion and tension to the situation.



Businessmen who run shops near the theater building are also suffering from the invasion of newcomers. The bistro nearby has long been visited by theatergoers, but now the establishment's income has collapsed.



The bistro manager complained that they had lost about 30,000 euros.

"They (the migrants - ed.) hang around my terrace, smoke weed and fight among themselves. Not only have theatergoers stopped coming to us because the theater is closed, but passersby don't come in either. They are scared off by all these young people," complains Alice - by the way, the daughter of Algerian migrants.



The Paris municipal council, which owns the theater building, says it looked for housing for migrants, but nothing suitable was found.