French police clashed with migrants and their supporters as they carried out an operation to liberate a theater in Paris that had been "occupied" by hundreds of homeless Africans.
Violence erupted outside the Gaîté Lyrique, one of the most historic art venues in the French capital, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Hundreds of migrants had been housed in the theater's premises since December, when management gave them free tickets to a "Refugees Welcomed in France" conference.
Performances were cancelled, losing thousands in theatre revenue, as makeshift beds were set up around the stage and auditorium.
CRS officers armed with tear gas and batons gathered outside the theater at 5 a.m. and then intervened, encountering resistance from hundreds of people inside.
"There were immediate clashes with protesters shouting at them and trying to stop them from entering the theater," said a local resident who was at the scene.
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MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
