Grégory Montel, star of the hit French drama series Call My Agent!, has joined sit-in protests across France campaigning against benefit reforms and for the reopening of theatres.
The movement is lead by performers who argue that the benefit system reforms will mean lower daily unemployment payments for creative sector workers when they are unable to work.
“I’m here to support my friends who are suffering a lot,” Montel told BBC News at a protest in Paris. “I know nothing is easy, and that all the decisions are quite complex, but unfortunately, our government made a choice and it’s not the choice I would have made.”
In total, 90 theatres across France have been occupied as part of the protests, including The Odeon Theatre in Paris. The theatre has been closed since last October, and there are currently 50 protesters stationed there.
“There’s a way to open our theatres and cinemas,” Montel added. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the movie industry over the next few years, so that’s why they mustn’t break everything.”
Venues such as café terraces and theatres in France may begin to open from the middle of May, but the country is currently under a national lockdown until at least the end of April due to a new wave of infections.
The government is spending €11 billion a month to support workers and businesses throughout the pandemic.
Words by Ellen Leslie.
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Image: © Groupe France Télévisions // Netflix