Each year, thousands of unaccompanied migrant youths come to France in search of safety and education healthcare. Numerous individuals assert they are under 18, which would grant them specific protections under French law. However, without documentation, they exist in a legal grey area – too young to be treated as adults but not officially recognised as minors.
Their cases move between institutions, which can take months. During this time, they face the risk of sleeping on the streets, being arrested, or even deported before a final decision is reached. The recent police eviction of many young people from a theatre in Paris has highlighted this national issue challenge.
“We are neither criminals nor drug addicts. All we seek is shelter, education, and healthcare access. How is this detrimental to France?”
said a 16-year-old boy from Guinea who faced eviction.
Every year, approximately 8,000 unaccompanied migrant minors arrive in Paris. According to Mayor Anne Hidalgo, only about 2,500 of these minors are officially recognised as underage and promptly placed into care.
Individuals unable to resolve their administrative status face few choices. Hamadou and 500 others took over La Gaîté Lyrique theatre in central Paris starting from 10 December 2023, but they were forcefully evicted by police on 18 March.
“I was terrified and unable to sleep that night before the police evicted us,”
a 16-year-old boy said.
“There were about a hundred policemen, all appearing as if they were ready for battle with their shields, helmets, and batons. Until the very last moment, I believed they would not resort to violence and that the Paris municipality would intervene to provide us with accommodation.”
The majority of young people at Gaîté Lyrique originate from former French colonies in Sub-Saharan Africa. A paradox exists for many: although French law provides safeguards for unaccompanied minors as outlined in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, demonstrating eligibility for that protection has become more challenging. Bone X-ray examinations are rarely conducted these days, as age assessments rely mostly on interviews.
Mohamed Gnabaly, the mayor of Ile-Saint-Denis and a member of the Green Party, said that the Gaîté Lyrique situation illustrates how various institutions shift responsibility to one another forth.
“As long as they stay out of sight, it’s acceptable. The presence of unaccompanied migrant minors became an issue due to their prominent visibility in the heart of the capital,” he stated. “This visibility sparked the racist rhetoric we observed among both government officials and the far-right faction.”
Fousseni, part of the Belleville Park youth group that organised the occupation, stated that the delays and absence of shelter force the minors into untenable situations. “By the time many have built up their case while trying not to get arrested, they have already reached 18,” he said.
In January, the Municipality of Paris filed a lawsuit. Subsequently, on 13 February, the court ordered the theatre to be vacated within a month. As the city did not meet this deadline, police chief Laurent Nunes indicated he was compelled to intervene.
“The Municipality of Paris [owner of the theatre] did not contact me by 13 March. I had to take my responsibilities and put an end to this occupation, which was disrupting public order,”
Nunes said on the TV programme C à vous.
“The Municipality of Paris asked for details on what accommodation would be given to the young people and how they were to be treated,” he added. “This, to me, implicitly meant that the Municipality of Paris did not want security forces to intervene.”
Moreover, on March 18, riot police wielded batons and deployed tear gas to breach the theatre, moving through human chains created by activists, civilians, and politicians. “This display of force against vulnerable black migrant minors marks the initial step in the military rhetoric being employed by the government and the far-right,” stated Danièle Obono, an MP from the left-leaning France Unbound party.
The Belleville Parc youth group stated that approximately 60 individuals were arrested, including both minors and adult supporters, with ten reported injuries. To date, 25 minors have received deportation orders, a decision the group claims infringes upon their legal rights. “This action is unlawful because they are minors, and they are currently being processed by the Ministry of Justice to verify their age,” stated Fousseni. “They should not be expelled from French territory like discarded waste.” papers.”
