The directors of the Paris theater Gaîté Lyrique, which houses hundreds of homeless African migrants, are leaving the building due to violence. The left-leaning management had invited them to the conference "Welcoming Refugees in France." Following the event, the migrants, primarily from former French West African colonies, refused to leave the venue. This is reported by Daily Mail.
Initially, there were around 200 migrants, mostly young men, but their numbers have now increased to 446. Most of them claim to be minors under the age of 18, but city officials assert that this is a lie.
The group "Belleville Park Youth Community," which organized the occupation of the theater, criticized the age assessment, calling it "racist and speculative."
The 19th-century theater building belongs to the city council and is located in the third arrondissement of Paris. The theater's management, which originally invited the refugees, now states, three months later, that it is on the brink of bankruptcy and that the situation in the neighborhood has become dangerous. They also indicated that "if the authorities do not intervene, Gaîté Lyrique and its team will be forced to leave the building."
In a statement, they also mentioned that they would "suspend contracts with service providers responsible for fire safety, security, hygiene and cleanliness, maintenance, and waste disposal."
The management warns of a "volatile and undignified situation" that "is becoming increasingly serious."
In addition to fights arising from sexual tension, migrants have been observed engaging in drug trafficking and use.
Staff are performing the duties of "on-site guards, even though this is not part of their responsibilities or expertise," the statement reads. Nevertheless, it also notes that the staff "welcomes and shelters the residents."
In December, the city council of Paris, led by socialists and owner of the building, stated that it had sought housing for the migrants but found nothing.
They called on the government to address this issue; however, Emmanuel Macron ignored this request and is unwilling to intervene in the situation.
On February 13, a judge from the Paris administrative court ordered the evacuation of the building, but the city council refused to involve the police.
Recall that a female illegal immigrant from the island nation of Grenada claimed that she cannot be deported from Britain because the spicy cuisine of her homeland poses health risks to her husband.