by A wonderful French series is taking place in the leafy Paris district of Montmartre, once famous for its bohemian artists but lately more gentrified and commercialized by mass tourism. It involves angry protests, accusations of harassment, a bitter row between former friends, a luxury hotel – and pétanque.
Court orders have been given to the 52-year-old pétanque club, Club Lepic Abbesses Pétanque (Applause) to leave its picturesque home in one of the most attractive and elevated areas of Montmartre, close to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. After a years-long battle with the City of Paris, the members have resorted to pitching tents on the site, keeping a 24-hour watch to prevent the area from being cleared. Every day they stay they incur another fine of €500 (£430).
The land, which has eight pétanque courts and a café, belonged to an artist of the Barbizon School called Félix Ziem, whose daughter sold it to the Paris authorities. In the 19th century, this area was called the Maquis de Montmartre, an unofficial collection of wooden huts where poor Paris lived. But as Montmartre became a fashionable center for counterculture and cabarets during the Belle Époque, many slum dwellers moved out. In the early 20th century, the Avenue Junot was built, with large buildings containing some of the most expensive and popular apartments in Paris. Located just behind them, out of sight of tourists and even many locals, Clap’s metal boules are pushing away from the seventies.
“This club was created 52 years ago, but […] we have not been here illegally for 52 years, contrary to what people say. We can prove that,” says Luc Magnin, a member of Clap, on Tuesday morning. In fact, the town hall of the 18th arrondissement, in which Montmartre is located, confirms that the club was established with the consent of the local authority.
Clap’s residence almost came to an end in the 1980s, after plans were revealed to build an underground car park on the site, but this was finally blocked after years of protest. In 1991, the surrounding area was surveyed and classified as protected, and then in 2022 the city hall called for proposals to officially lease the land.
Jean-Philippe Daviaud, councilor in Paris in charge of commerce, crafts and Europe for the 18th arrondissement, says: “At a time when this area was very working class, this land was made available to a local boules club. It has changed a lot since then, but [the arrangement] it remained so – in a very informal way. Today, such situations no longer exist. The city does not have the right to give [away] a piece of public land [without] contract, and payments from the organization in question in exchange for occupying the space.”
Representatives from Clap insist that he made efforts to create an official contract, and start paying rent, but claims that they were dismissed or not looked into properly. He added that he only had two months to put together a proposal, which had to adhere to strict criteria for the land to be open to the public, ecologically beneficial and economically viable.
Oscar Comtet, director of the Hôtel Particulier Montmartre, a nearby five-star hotel, eventually won the contract. He plans to open the space to the public, replace the food booth with a pond, and part of the pétanque fields with a garden (although six will be kept, including two suitable for competitive play). The planned garden, which already has a website and Instagram page, will be called Jardin Junot and will feature a petting zoo for children, beehives, cultural events and family-friendly activities.
But there is a novel twist. Comtet is a local – and has been a member of Clap since he was 12 years old. “We watched Oscar grow up,” says Clap spokesperson Maxime Lioger. “We taught him to play boules, and he was good. He had talent.”
A tired-sounding Comtet replies: “I, I have nothing to say except that I am sorry that it does not suit them. I am fighting to reopen this land to the public, unfortunately it has become private [by Clap]. It’s a piece of public land, the town hall can’t access its own land, so I don’t know what to say. It’s a shame.”
Protesters in Brazil accuse the project of “greenwashing” and think the plans are just an excuse to expand the hotel, a charge the Comtet and city authorities have flatly denied. The club thinks of it as a David versus Goliath battle: 300 ordinary people against a luxury hotel that can afford to invest hundreds of thousands into the country, announcing its project with a great presence on social media.
The hotel director says the proposed garden is “not connected to the hotel.” It is funded by the hotel, but it is open to the public”. He insists that “it’s not a project for tourists, it’s a project for the people of Montmartre.”
In addition, David of the 18th arrondissement council claims that the sports club was ultimately unwilling to give up the aspects of the club that make it incompatible with Paris in the 21st century: that is to host a private club on public land, and the attendance. and drinking alcohol and other refreshments in the booth without the necessary permits.
Both the Comtet and the town hall also say that the director of the hotel, his family and his staff have been threatened and harassed by protesters, which has led to the resignation of some of the people working there.
Beyond the mud-slinging and legal wranglings, Clap’s campaign seems to give voice to a more general feeling in Paris: fear that the city’s idiosyncratic desire is being scooped out and sold. Earlier this year, graffiti was spotted on the sleepy square in the Latin Quarter that housed a Netflix series Emily in Paris film reading “Emily is not welcome” – a response to some locals who felt they were being inundated by tourists.
This dispute also comes against the backdrop of the approaching Olympic Games, a subject of criticism from some Parisians who feel that the exit plans prioritize the country’s international outlook over the needs and concerns of local people.
Montmartre is currently applying for Unesco World Heritage status. Liogier said: “They talk about listing Montmartre with Unesco, but listing what? The tourist coaches? We are one of the last corners of neighborhood life in Montmartre.
“Death… is the soul of Montmartre, where Montmartrois can still meet, exchange, play cards and boules. Montmartre became known throughout the world because it was a proper place, a place of the working class.”
He said: “We are not thugs. Far from it – but what happened is against the moral order, that’s why we are rebelling: we cannot agree to accept the absurd.” When I pointed out that the saga is a microcosm of all French stereotypes – boules, rebellion, luxury hospitality – he could not help but smile: “It’s the French thing, I know, I know, I know!”
