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La Gaîté Lyrique issues last-chance plea for help from the authorities
After 79 days of occupation by the Belleville Park Youth Collective, who now number more than 440 occupants, La Gaîté Lyrique believes it is no longer capable of managing, maintaining and operating its building.
For 79 days, La Gaîté Lyrique has worked with various NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders and Samu Social, to provide care and access to individual rights.
For 79 days, staff members have been present at the site 24/7 on a voluntary basis, despite not being qualified or employed to do so.
For 79 days, an expanded security team has worked with professionalism 24/7 to ensure the safety and security of the people in the occupied areas.
For 79 days, La Gaîté Lyrique’s pleas for help with this sudden occupation and unsuitable conditions have fallen on deaf ears.
On February 21, 446 occupants were counted in the facility. The situation in the building is at a tipping point, with untenable overcrowded resulting in increasingly severe and frequent violence. The fire alarm has been set off several times over the last few days. The most recent serious incident was a fire started in the occupied areas on February 21, which required the intervention of the Paris fire department and the national police.
On Tuesday, February 25, the facility’s employees, who have expressed their full confidence in and support for Management on several occasions, exercised their right to refuse to work on the grounds that the situation posed a serious, imminent danger to themselves, to the people occupying the space, and to the building.
As these circumstances now constitute a case of force majeure, La Gaîté Lyrique SAS, the company that operates the cultural institution, informed the City of Paris in writing on February 25 of its intention to suspend the concession contract between the two parties on Friday, February 28. Should the authorities fail to take action by Friday, La Gaîté Lyrique SAS and its staff will be forced to leave the facility and suspend its contracts with the service providers in charge of fire safety, security, cleaning and hygiene, maintenance, and waste collection.
In its letter to the city, La Gaîté Lyrique reiterates that taking care of occupants and providing shelter in the building does not fall within its qualifications or its purview under the concession agreement. Despite this, the staff have done their utmost to make up for the administrative authorities’ inaction. Employees have provided emergency assistance in the middle of winter to give the City of Paris and the French government time to conclude the negotiations initiated 2.5 months ago to find a housing solution.
We call on the City of Paris, cultural actors, representatives from the social and solidary economy, civil society, and the government to support a common vision, shared values, and efforts to work together and take collective action. We call on them to act without delay to save La Gaîté Lyrique – a flourishing, open center rooted in solidarity – and take part in the Factory of Our Times.
La Gaîté Lyrique and its entire staff will be willing and able to resume management, upkeep and operation of the building as soon as the competent authorities provide shelter to the occupants and meet the security, safety and hygiene conditions required for employees and residents to return.
The partner organizations that form La Gaîté Lyrique SAS (Arte, Arty Farty, makesense and Singa) and employee representatives will be holding a press conference shortly.
La Gaîté Lyrique – Factory of Our Times
After a month of occupation, a housing solution still has yet to be found for the 300 young people sleeping at La Gaîté Lyrique.
A month of occupation and there is still no substantive housing proposal from the government or the City of Paris to provide refuge for the people occupying La Gaîté Lyrique under the banner of the Belleville Park Youth Collective. La Gaîté Lyrique regrets the sudden, spontaneous nature of this occupation but recognizes the legitimacy of the collective’s appeal to find housing for these individuals, who now number 300.
As the number of young people sleeping at La Gaîté Lyrique continues to rise, the sanitary conditions are worsening by the day and the staff has been left to handle the situation without any assistance. While the occupation was thrust upon La Gaîté Lyrique, it is out of the question to put these people out on the street in the middle of winter.
The building will remain closed until further notice. All the events scheduled from January 10 to 24 have been canceled or moved to partner facilities. Updates are provided on a daily basis.
La Gaîté Lyrique once again urges the competent authorities to find a housing solution that respects these individuals’ human dignity as soon as possible.
La Gaîté Lyrique – Factory of Our Times
Occupation of La Gaîté Lyrique: facility closed until further notice
On Tuesday, December 17, La Gaîté Lyrique made the decision to close to the public until further notice, effective today. Due to the present situation, the facility is no longer able to receive visitors under suitable conditions.
Some 250 unhoused people from diverse backgrounds who belong to the Belleville Park Youth Collective have been occupying spaces inside La Gaîté Lyrique, a cultural center owned by the City of Paris, since Tuesday, December 10. La Gaîté Lyrique regrets the sudden, spontaneous nature of this occupation but recognizes the legitimacy of the collective’s appeal to find housing for these 250 people.
We strongly condemn the inaction and lack of dialogue between the government and the City of Paris. This inaction clearly endangers the people sleeping at the center and the staff handling the situation without any assistance or timeframe for resolution. This comes despite La Gaîté Lyrique not being in any way qualified to manage such a situation, or equipped with the spaces and sanitary facilities required to provide accommodation that respects human dignity.
At the same time, in the absence of a substantive rehousing proposal from the City of Paris or the government, it is out of the question to endanger these people by putting them out on the street in mid-December, in near-freezing temperatures. Will the situation have to deteriorate further or claim victims for the competent authorities to finally take action?
La Gaîté Lyrique urges the City of Paris to work without delay to find a housing solution for these 250 young people, regardless of the government’s stance on the matter.
Programming at La Gaîté Lyrique is paused until further notice.
La Gaîté Lyrique – Factory of Our Times
Partner organizations: Arty Farty, Arte France, Singa, Makesense. Editorial partner: Actes Sud
Occupation of La Gaîté Lyrique: no proposed solutions from the competent authorities, several events canceled
For the past five days, 200 unhoused people from diverse backgrounds who belong to the Belleville Park Youth Collective have been occupying spaces inside La Gaîté Lyrique, a cultural center owned by the City of Paris. La Gaîté Lyrique regrets the sudden, spontaneous nature of this occupation but recognizes the legitimacy of the collective’s appeal to find housing for these 200 people.
Today, Saturday, December 14, we strongly condemn the inaction and lack of dialogue between the government and the City of Paris, amidst mounting incidents, fatigue and inadequate facilities proving a greater burden each day and causing tensions to rise. This inaction clearly endangers the people sleeping at the center and the staff handling the situation without any assistance or timeframe for resolution. This comes despite La Gaîté Lyrique not being in any way qualified to manage such a situation, or equipped with the spaces and sanitary facilities required to provide accommodation that respects human dignity.
At the same time, in the absence of a substantive rehousing proposal from the City of Paris or the government, it is out of the question to endanger these people by putting them out on the street in the month of December, in near-freezing temperatures.
Will the situation have to deteriorate further or claim victims for the competent authorities to finally take action?
Under these circumstances, La Gaîté Lyrique is unable to guarantee that the Marathon Festival scheduled for this evening can proceed as planned and, regretfully, is therefore forced to cancel the event. The solidarity Christmas event scheduled for today is also canceled. The teams are working hard to keep the center open and still move forward with the other activities.
La Gaîté Lyrique – Factory of Our Times
Partner organizations: Arty Farty, Arte France, Singa, Makesense. Editorial partner: Actes Sud
Temporary occupation of La Gaîté Lyrique – activities to go forward as planned
Last night, 200 unhoused people from diverse backgrounds who belong to the Belleville Park Youth Collective began occupying spaces inside La Gaîté Lyrique, a cultural center owned by the City of Paris. The collective issued a statement requesting housing for these 200 people.
La Gaîté Lyrique regrets the sudden, spontaneous nature of this occupation but recognizes the legitimacy of the collective’s appeal to find housing for these 200 people. Through “Factory of Our Times,” La Gaîté Lyrique’s core project since 2023, the institution works daily to secure housing, food and employment solutions for vulnerable individuals. Every week, hundreds of people come here to receive food aid, take part in community-building activities, and contribute to the greater good. The institution is not, however, designed or equipped to serve as accommodation on this scale.
Nearly 200 people, including many young people and vulnerable individuals, are sleeping in one of Paris’s largest cultural institutions, posing major organizational and logistical challenges for a facility ill-suited to provide this emergency lodging.
La Gaîté Lyrique urges the French government to work with the Paris Prefecture to requisition a vacant building capable of properly accommodating these 200 people, who were sleeping outdoors at a time when temperatures are soon expected to fall below freezing in Paris.
To maintain project and service continuity, La Gaîté Lyrique has decided to move forward with its activities and remain open to its various audiences, while working actively to adapt its reception, safety and security measures to the situation at hand.
La Gaîté Lyrique – Factory of Our Times
Press contacts
presse@gaite-lyrique.net
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