The police evicted the occupants of the LGBT + squat “de la Baudrière” this Tuesday morning in the city of Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis). Nearly a hundred police officers were mobilized to start the operation at 7 a.m.
“In execution of a court decision, the evacuation of the squat called “de la Baudrière” in Montreuil took place this (Tuesday) morning. Faced with the determination of the occupants to remain in the premises, significant resources have been mobilized, ”said the prefect of Seine-Saint-Denis, Jacques Witkowski, in a press release sent to AFP.
Twenty people arrested
The operation “was complex because the occupants wanted to slow down the intervention of the police by barricading themselves, going to the roof and putting up obstacles, but there was no major violence”, according to a police source. “Nearly fifty people were inside,” she said.
According to a provisional report from the prefecture, around twenty people were arrested. “The evacuations are over and the securing of the site is in progress”, writes Mr. Witkowski, explaining that he is carrying out “a proactive policy of resorption of the illicit occupations of private property in the department”.
“Squatting is a way of fighting against private property”
“Squatting is a way of fighting against private property, which produces precariousness, poor housing, isolation and ecological devastation”, write the members of the squat on their website, describing La Baudrière as “an anarcha-feminist trans-pedegouine squat which opened in November 2021 in Montreuil”.
According to them, “the real estate project planned for the Place de la Baudrière fits perfectly into the gentrification process at work in Montreuil: a private residence, luxurious apartments accompanied by overpriced shops”. A demonstration is planned for Tuesday evening in downtown Montreuil in support of the squat.