French police evicted more than 400 migrants on Tuesday who had been squatting inside the Gaite Lyrique theatre in central Paris for more than three months.
Officers began their operation shortly before 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) at the theatre, where hundreds of demonstrators had gathered to protest against the eviction.
"Shame, shame, shame to authorities who are at war with isolated minors," demonstrators chanted in front of the theatre in solidarity with the migrants, urging local authorities to provide sustainable housing to them rather than force them out.
Police briefly used tear gas at the start of their operation, but overall the evacuation proceeded without any major incidents or clashes.
"We had nowhere to go, we needed a shelter during the cold winter nights. So we had no choice but to occupy the Gaite Lyrique," said Dialo Aimmedou, who said he was 16 and arrived in France in October 2024.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told France Inter radio on Tuesday that the evacuation had to be done, and that emergency housing had been offered to the migrants.
"At this stage this was the thing to do because the situation was becoming complicated, tense and dangerous inside," she said.
