Law enforcement officials evacuate crowded Boule gaming establishment located in Montmartre.
For quite some time, patrons of a local petanque club have been occupying a pitch in Paris's Montmartre area. They're opposing a luxury hotel's plan to expand its outdoor dining onto the site. The police have now intervened to clear the area.
Last Monday afternoon, roughly 80 members of the "Club Lepic Abbesses Petanque" resisted the eviction by lying down on the ground. This was witnessed by numerous tourists. The club has been using this location, which they claim is the largest in the city since 1971, as their home base.
The city intends to lease the property to the adjacent luxury hotel for its outdoor dining area. Following the police intervention, the authorities also demolished the clubhouse, which the club claims is a heritage-protected site.
The club has been struggling against their eviction for over two years. Over 13,000 people signed a petition against this move. The club is known for combining serious competition with social interaction, according to the petition. It has been fostering relations between residents of various age groups for over half a century. Its members range from artisans and artists to retirees, children, business owners, and the unemployed.
The club had been seeking a usage agreement with the city for the property, but to no avail. The city justified their eviction action by labeling the petanque players as "squatters with no legal right," as reported by "Le Parisien."
"It's disgraceful that the authorities are working for a private company and destroying a heritage-protected site," said Nicolas Jammes, the club's president, to "Le Parisien." The luxury hotel's director had announced their future outdoor dining plans on the property that morning. "We won't draw the final line here," said the club's lawyers during the police operation. "We will use all legal means at our disposal."
The petanque pitch had been involved in four court cases before the Council of State, the highest administrative court in the country, which ruled in favor of the city in April. The club was given 15 days to vacate the property, with a daily fine of 500 euros if they failed to comply.
Since then, club members have been taking turns to guard the property day and night, in anticipation of the eviction. No violence or injuries were reported during the eviction of the petanque pitch.
Politicians and celebrities have also joined the protest. French left-wing MP Aymeric Caron expressed concern, stating, "This day is a tragedy for the residents of Montmartre who have been visiting this place for half a century and are now being treated like hooligans." Actor Fabrice Luchini also criticized the city's prioritization of luxury tourism over boules, an otherwise popular pastime.
Even after their eviction, the club members plan on keeping their boules at the ready. They have found temporary refuge in a nearby district's petanque club, thanks to their solidarity.
The police arrested several club members during the eviction process due to their resistance. The club is now planning to file a lawsuit against the city and the luxury hotel for the destruction of their heritage-protected clubhouse.
