The atmosphere is far from festive at la Gaîté Lyrique as we approach the end of 2024. Since Tuesday, December 10, the premises of the cultural establishment in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris have been occupied by over 250 unaccompanied minors, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa. They have no housing solutions and are gathered in the “collective of young people from Belleville Park.” During the weekend of December 14 and 15, all events scheduled to take place there were canceled. In a statement released yesterday, Tuesday, December 17, it was confirmed that Gaîté Lyrique would be closed to the public “until further notice.”
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
The State and the City of Paris inactive
The situation is quite complex, as « the Gaîté Lyrique regrets the sudden and imposed nature of this occupation, but reminds us of the legitimate nature of the collective's demand to find shelter for these 250 people ». Faced with « inaction and the inability to communicate between the services of the City of Paris and those of the State », the cultural establishment finds itself stuck. It also reminds us that it « does not have [the] facilities and sanitary means to offer a shelter solution for these individuals, with respect and human dignity».
».See this post on Instagram
To try to make a difference, La Gaîté Lyrique spoke out through an op-ed published in the newspaper Libération on Tuesday, December 17, asking the City of Paris to take responsibility for these individuals. When asked by », clarifies the press release. This situation raises doubts about the future of the 60 employees and the cultural establishment that risks facing significant financial losses. « La Gaîté Lyrique finds itself alone, forced to choose between its regulatory obligation as the concessionaire of this venue and its moral duty, which is not to leave these individuals out on the street in the middle of December, when temperatures are around 0°. It’s simply unthinkable for us. Must we wait for the situation to worsen even more or for there to be victims before action is taken? »
