Published
Fri, Sep 10, 2021, 16:51
- The party in Vitry-sur-Seine put residents in danger and resulted in police intervention.
Parisian promoter La Toilette hosted a rave in a car park next to a refugee camp housing 225 residents, Electronic Beats reports.
The residence is run by United Migrants, who spoke to Electronic Beats about their experience. They say they were contacted at 4 PM on Saturday, September 4th, by La Toilette about throwing a party at 12 AM. The promoters promised to donate to the organisation to help with the maintenance of the residence and advised a maximum of 500 attendees. According to a statement provided to Electronic Beats, La Toilette "broke every promise," with the promoters failing to show up before 3 AM, by which point 1,500 punters, and the police, had already arrived.
As news of the location of the party spread and more complaints and horrified comments rolled in, La Toilette shared a statement on the evening of September 6th. Instead of apologising, they said that the party was being postponed to the following weekend, before adding that it was intended to support the United Migrants residence and that the manager of the refugee housing had welcomed the proposition.
Comments below the statement on Facebook are predominantly from partygoers wanting to know where their money is going and why La Toilette chose that location in the first place. "We want proof of transfer of profits to the association which takes care of the migrants!," reads one comment. "When did you think it was okay to party next to their accommodation, for 20 hours!"
Another attendee wrote: "You can't imagine how embarrassed I was to pay to have a party in a camp for people who fled their countries for political, climatic and social reasons because their lives were in danger. What is this madness?"
DJ Nymed, who was due to play at the event, shared a statement on Instagram. He references a short video that appeared on social media showing a child from the camp. Dance music is audible in the background.
"Dear queer people, yes it's a little girl in the middle of a party this last Saturday night. What happened this weekend goes against all my values." Read Nymed's full post here.
According to a member of collective Les Eveillés, which works to raise money for refugees, the refugees living in the camp at Vitry-sur-Seine are now at risk of being evicted. A meeting has been called between the landlord, United Migrants and the local authorities.
"La Toilette ran out of options and rushed into this alternative without caring about the consequences," she told Electronic Beats. "Now the building's future is even more uncertain."
Read the full report on Electronic Beats.
Photo: Baptiste MG