They hoped to “root the strike” by taking over this unoccupied place. They will hardly have had time to sow. This Monday morning, the former L’Arvor cinema in Rennes will be evacuated. The rue d’Antrain where this unoccupied building is located is blocked in both directions to allow the evacuation of the few occupants. On the spot, gendarmes, police officers and firefighters have already begun to evacuate the individuals present, under the gaze of a few onlookers. The large ladder was deployed to evacuate the occupants who took refuge on the roof. Some have already descended, in the clamor of some supporters. Owner of the premises, the city of Rennes, through its mayor Nathalie Appéré, requested the use of law enforcement to evacuate the site.
The occupation of this empty cinema since its move in 2020 had started on Saturday evening, in the confusion of a stormy end to the demonstration in the city center of Rennes. While clashes erupted between opponents of the pension reform and the police, several individuals managed to break into the Arvor building. A few dozen people had slept there after the authorities gave up trying to evacuate the cinema immediately.
A second occupation in Rennes
On Sunday, a general meeting was held in one of the cinema’s old projection rooms. More than 150 people had attended, but not the press, which was not allowed to stay. At first sight, the building which was empty of any occupation had not been degraded, only a few tags being visible on the walls and on the facade of the building.
At the beginning of February, an occupation had started in the Salle de la Cité. A few individuals had spent the night in the performance hall after causing the cancellation of a Nupes meeting. They had been quickly evacuated.