The Gaîté Lyrique Theater is a jewel within the sensible cultural scene in Paris from the nineteenth century. He as soon as hosted Jacques Offenbach’s operetta and Ballets Rusi’s performances.
Nonetheless, this season, his most spoken drama is generated by greater than 300 immigrants for homeless ones who’re on tenting on the restaurant, sleeping on their flooring at night time and requires the French authorities to offer them with actual housing and different advantages as a result of they, they, they, they, they They, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they are saying, they’re underneath 18 years of age. This can be a decisive bureaucratic impediment in France: if they’re legally acknowledged as unaccompanied minors, they’re entitled to housing and different state help.
The Belville Youth Park, Paris group, which incorporates immigrants and non -migrant left activists, organizes the occupation. Since 2023, they’ve organized comparable professions in different, much less recognized locations. The organizers declare that their actions have been urgent out to metropolis officers to seek out 800 seats for shelters for younger individuals.
However the metropolis authorities says there is no such thing as a room for shelter. And this made a preliminary resolution that many migrants usually are not on the age they are saying they’re. This has left lots of them within the limbs as they pursue their complaints in courtroom.
By signing the Conference of the United Nations on the rights of the kid, European international locations should give particular safety, together with housing, to minor immigrants. And the query of lying-or not with the ability to prove-ancestral day changed into lightning as anti-immigrant sentiment helps to nourish Relevance of far -right parties All through the continent.
“This can be a big drawback in Europe,” says Ulrike Bialas, a sociologist who has studied younger immigrants in Germany and is a analysis affiliate on the Max Planck Institute for the research of non secular and ethnic variety in Giotingen, Germany.
In Britain in November Rupert Lowe, member of Parliament and of Nigel Farage anti -immigration Reform celebration, summoned The British authorities to reassess the age of “unlawful migrants who declare to be 16/17”. In Germany, legislators of the far-right various to Germany’s celebration within the state of Baden-Württemberg illustrate their concern on-line with a photograph of a bearded man dressed as a child.
Not solely far -right figures imagine that the principles are abused. Final 12 months, Senator Valerie Boyer, a member of the Republicans, a French political celebration that’s conservative however not on the suitable, He said that The younger immigrants given by the federal government have been “too typically pretend minors who’re actually financial migrants.”
Over the previous decade, the bialas, the sociologist, mentioned: “An enormous quantity” of unaccompanied younger migrants, have come to Europe from Africa and the Center East. “Lots of them – actually, in Germany, greater than half of them – they don’t have any paperwork with them to show their identification, and extra particularly the date of delivery,” she mentioned.
In France, specialists say, unaccompanied younger immigrants who can’t show that they’re minors, typically discover themselves on the road.
Mohammed Bach, who is among the many immigrants occupying Gaîté Lyrique, is on this explicit problem. In a current interview, he mentioned he was sleeping underneath the bridge earlier than becoming a member of others on the occupied theater. Up to now, he mentioned, he’s not capable of persuade the French authorities that he was 15. “I used to be requested for paperwork,” he mentioned. “I advised them I solely had photos.”
Trying on the younger man who traveled to France from Senegal in October, it was virtually inconceivable to say for positive how previous he could possibly be.
Like many, his preliminary software for advantages has been refused and he’s ready for the courts to resolve his criticism – a course of which will take months.
The preliminary analysis in Paris is performed by a non -profit group, France, a land of asylum, which is broadly interviewed by candidates, mentioned Vincent Bogrand, director of the group. Beaugrand mentioned the method shouldn’t be an correct science. Usually, migrants don’t carry formal paperwork or say they don’t have a recording of their age. Metropolis authorities say that at this stage immigrants fail to achieve official recognition as minors about 70 % of the time.
In France, immigrants like Mohammed have been known as “Ni-Nis” as a result of they’re “Neither minors nor majority” – neither insignificant nor adults. Based on the French Ministry of Justice5.990 neutral immigrants have been checked as minors in 2014. This difficulty elevated to 19 370 in 2023.
Short-term information for final 12 months counsel that the quantity has decreased considerably, most likely as a result of the European Union has lately began paying to North Africa international locations to prevent Subsahara Africans to make their solution to Europe.
And but, exploration Final 12 months, a bunch of French intercession for homeless advocacy discovered that at the very least 3.477 younger immigrants have been with out everlasting houses and have been ready for the authorities to make an official dedication of their age. Greater than 1,000 of them lived on the road, the group mentioned.
This month Marin Hamelet, a legislator with the nationalist, anti -immigrant of France Rallyrevealed video On-line saying that the strategies of “masking the fraudsters” of age are wanted to extend.
“The safety of youngsters is an important obligation of humanity,” she mentioned. “However the coverage of welcoming unaccompanied minors shouldn’t be abused to the extent to grow to be an immigration channel.”
D -Ja Hamelet, who didn’t reply to the interview requests, mentioned within the video that any unaccompanied minor taken underneath the federal government wing prices French taxpayers about 50,000 euros, roughly $ 52,000, a quantity that has a determine that has a determine that has a determine that has a quantity There’s a determine that has a determine that has a determine that has a determine that has a quantity that has a quantity that has a quantity are contestedS
Others declare that France ought to deal with all younger immigrants as in the event that they have been minors, and provides them the related advantages whereas ready for his or her calls to move – particularly contemplating how possible they’re. UNICEF says that fifty % to 80 % of immigrant younger individuals who settle for their calls to a decide in France are in the end thought-about minors.
Correntin Baylel, head of the advocacy division and UNICEF applications in France, mentioned leaving kids of their limbs whereas they enchantment their deeds, is out of step with the rules of the UN Conference for Youngsters. “We’re calling for France to evaluate its laws to be able to do it basically by means of the presumption of minority standing,” he mentioned.
The occupation of the Gaîté Lyrique, which started on December 10, compelled the cancellation or motion of programming to the theater, an attractive Italian constructing round a mile from the Louvre, which has been a metropolis cultural middle since 2002, to make it overflowing with immigrants, Principally from the previous African colonies of France, together with Guinea, Cott D’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal. Within the morning, they’re organized for a donated breakfast. Through the day, they flip their telephones surrounded by their blankets and scarce issues. Within the night, they’re attending conferences.
On the facade there’s a hand banner, stretched: “There are not any unaccompanied minors on the road!” Google Maps declares the place briefly closed.
“Whereas there is no such thing as a shelter for the minors,” mentioned Mr. Bach, “The place might be occupied.”
The mayor’s workplace and the nationwide authorities break down who’s liable for migrants. Lately, the town authorities owns the theater, with programming, which incorporates seminars, indie rock exhibits, artwork installations and different occasions that usually replicate the leftist coverage of Paris.
Lea Filoche, a deputy mayor in Paris, who offers with emergency issues, mentioned in an interview that the town has no extra shelters. Based on her, the nationwide authorities of the middle ought to discover an condominium for immigrants.
Officers within the space of Paris, prefecture, hand of the nationwide authorities, refused to be interviewed. However in a press release, they mentioned that the occupation was positioned “by migrants acknowledged as adults from the social companies of the town of Paris.”
Immigrants have discovered the management of the theater for allies, not opponents. This can be a place that runs a conservative radio commentator to blame The administration of affected by Stockholm Syndrome.
In an interview, Juliet Donadiev, a common supervisor, mentioned he was apprehensive that the place might discovered financially if the choice didn’t come quickly. However Donadieu mentioned the query is among the fundamental human decency.
“Who can, in the course of winter, deliver these individuals to the road?” she mentioned.
