Engaged for several months in a battle against the city hall of Paris and a neighboring hotel, the Club Lepic Abbesses Pétanque (Clap), a historic boules association in Montmartre, is on the verge of being evicted from its playing field located on the hill. In an order dated April 3, 2024, the Council of State has instructed the club to leave the premises within "a period of fifteen days" or face a fine of 500 euros per day of delay.
On the evening of Friday, April 19, some of the 300 licensed members of the association had set up their tents at the top of the Montmartre hill to protest the decision. Five days earlier, on April 14, they had already gathered for a "solidarity country buffet" on the disputed field. Among them, actor Pierre Ric.Hard, old Montmartre resident and petanque enthusiast. In an Instagram video posted on Monday evening, the 27th of May, the 89-year-old actor claims he would be ready to ho
.Pierre Richard is scratching his head at the decision to kick out the petanque club from their favorite field. For more than 53 years, the Montmartre association has cherished their spot tucked away near Avenue Junot. Instead of letting the players keep enjoying their eight petanque courts and bar, the city hall wants to transform the area into a "green space accessible" to all Parisians. The boules players are determined to fight for their treasured field - check out the article on Libération. According to the actor, "places like this are rare in Paris". "There are fewer and fewer little paradises like this, where people can play boules, have a drink, talk to each other, look at each other," he says, lamenting that they now want to "kick out" those who bring life to the neighborhood. When asked "will we see you during a possible eviction to support us?". The actor then laughs and responds "I will come to chain myself, I will be teargassed" and confirms that he will be there. If the municipality actually plans to create a new green space, it also plans to transfer the management of it to the adjacent hotel, the Hôtel Particulier Montmartre. In July 2023, the plot was entrusted to the establishment for 12 years, who in exchange must pay an annual fee of €60,000 and has committed to open the space to the general public. The revegetation project includes the installation of a micro-farm with goats and chickens and the demolition of the current refreshment stand, but "leaves all its place to the club" according to the hotel manager. Hey there! The boulistes are a bit worried that the hotel might try to enlarge its terrace and make a lot of the area private, which would be the end of "one of the last local hangouts in Montmartre" according to the Clap spokesperson on France Bleu.
The land managed by the Hôtel Particulier Montmartre