It was Benjamin Franklin, it is said, who noted that “[g]uests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” If this is true, what would the stench be like after more than a month? Well, the left-wing Gaîté Lyrique theater in Paris, France, ought to be able to tell you. After all, it has been occupied by African migrants for five weeks now. The kicker:
The takeover began after the theater hosted a free-of-charge conference promoting tolerance for migrants — which the migrants attended.
In fact, more than 250 African foreigners came to the event, titled “Reinventing the welcome for refugees in France.” They ended up there “after being guided to the venue by Parisian activists described as ‘even more left-wing than the theatre’s management,’” relates GB News.
Hoist With Their Own Petard
The Daily Caller reported Tuesday on the story, writing:
The Parc de Belleville youth collective began its occupation of the Gaîté Lyrique theater Dec. 10, with the migrants demanding housing, [French news outlet] RFI reported. The theater, which is known for supporting left-wing causes, hosted a conference on welcoming refugees Dec. 10, during which the migrants entered the building and later refused to leave, according to GB News.
“We are here to claim our right to housing, health, and education,” Précieux, who claimed to be a 16-year-old Congolese migrant said in December, according to RFI.
The number of people occupying the theater has grown over the past month, and the management has complained about unsanitary conditions at the venue due to the migrant takeover.
The theater, however, can perhaps give itself a pat on the back. After all, its tolerance conference must’ve been convincing enough to catalyze the desired result. As GB News also reports:
The migrants listened to presentations from prominent French academics and senior Red Cross officials during the conference.
When the event concluded, the attendees refused to leave the building. Their numbers have since grown from the initial 250 to approximately 300 people.
Daily life at the occupied theatre is marked by general assemblies, signalled by the beating of a tam-tam on the building’s steps.
Protesters use megaphones to shout slogans, creating what has been described as a noisy and festive atmosphere.
The situation has become particularly challenging for Paris’s Socialist-led council, which owns the building.
Now, if one were a wiseguy, comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s common refrain (seven-second video below) might come to mind.
Thankfully, there are no wiseguys here at The New American. But for those itching to know what really is “a shame” in this case, the video below presents what’s transpiring outside the theater.
Dying With Their Pink Jackboots On
Of course, such goings-on don’t exactly enhance business. Consequently, writes the Daily Mail, Paris’ Socialist-led council
has called for the government to deal with the problem, but President [Emmanuel] Macron’s centrist cabinet is said to have ignored the request and is reluctant to get involved in the debacle.
The estimated the cost of the cancellations of private and public events has been estimated to stand at ‘several hundred thousand euros in direct losses’, a theatre spokesperson said last month.
The theatre’s income model — which is 70 per cent based on ticket sales and 30 per cent on subsidies — has collapsed. … [T]he leftist theatre now faces going out of business … and has had to cancel all performances until at least January 24.
One can only imagine, too, the culturally enriching fare Parisians will be denied if the left-wing theater goes under. None of this, however, means the venue’s management is ready to cry uncle. As the Caller informs:
“The Gaîté Lyrique regrets the sudden and forced nature of this occupation, but recalls the legitimacy of the collective’s demand to obtain a roof for these, now, 300 people,” the theater said in a statement released Saturday. “While the number of young people sleeping at the Gaîté Lyrique continues to increase, the sanitary conditions are deteriorating day after day and the teams are facing this situation alone. Although this occupation is forced, it is unthinkable for the Gaîté Lyrique to throw these people out onto the street in the middle of winter.”
Of course, one could note that the places these migrants come from are nice and warm this time of year.
Go Woke, Go Broke?
But it isn’t just Macron’s government that finds the theater’s plight unmoving. Illustrating that ever-present chasm between the pseudo-elite and street, MSN commenters also were aghast — at the tolerance for the intolerable. As one Claudia Ortega wrote:
So the theater wants sympathy? They won’t clear the facility and the health conditions should be a concern. If someone went to the Congo and demanded free anything, I’m guessing they wouldn’t be around very long.
A respondent named Maria Dolores added:
Is it appropriate for a refugee or immigrant to make demands from a country that is not their own? Return to your country to demand and fight for your rights there.
And a user posting as Ada Khoury passionately stated:
Give away an inch of “tolerance” for free … and they will take a mile to “claim” their “rights” to DEMAND housing, healthcare and education…all at the cost of the citizens paying the taxes in their host country. …Time for the citizens of all western democracies to wake up from their Woke stupors and stop the dangerous invasion and occupation of their communities and countries, while they still can.
A person could wonder, too: Does facilitating an entitlement mentality really help people? The situation is somewhat reminiscent of notoriously left-wing Starbucks’ “open door” policy. This allowed anyone to loiter in their cafés or use the bathrooms without even making a purchase. Not surprisingly, too, this served as an invitation to vagrants and ne’er-do-wells, who sometimes alienated customers.
Oh, Starbucks finally announced, on Monday, that it was ending this policy.
So it may take more than three days, or even five weeks, but eventually the metaphorical smell becomes too much for even the most malodorous ideologues.
