Police evict hundreds of migrants squatting in Paris theatre for months

People gather against police eviction of migrants from the Gaite Lyrique theatre after more than three months of their occupation, in Paris, France, March 18, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

PARIS (Reuters) -French police raided a theatre in central Paris at dawn on Tuesday, briefly using tear gas to evict more than 400 migrants who had been squatting there for months, as hundreds of demonstrators protested their removal.

The migrants, including many unaccompanied minors, had occupied the leftist Gaite Lyrique theatre, a concert and arts venue, since December 10, in a demand for shelter.