The Louvre, the world's most visited museum, has closed its doors after protesters barricaded the entrances during days of nationwide riots and demonstrations in France. The closure was announced on Monday, October 19, via a post on the social media platform X.
Visitors were left waiting outside a cordoned-off area as demonstrators, including students from the Ecole du Louvre, blocked the entrance to the museum in support of the high school students' movement. The museum, home to famous works of art including the Mona Lisa, made the decision to shut as disorder spread across Paris.
Museum Statement on Closure
The museum posted on X: "Dear visitors, due to student strikes the museum is currently closed. We apologise for the inconvenience." The post gave no reopening time and did not specify whether the museum would reopen that same day.
About nine million people visit the Louvre annually, making it by far the world's most visited museum. It remains unclear whether the museum will reopen on Tuesday.
Protests and Government Response
The closure followed a weekend of protests over rising living costs and conditions in schools, as violence broke out across several French cities. The unrest included one of the most violent days in years, leaving a building burned, hundreds of shops destroyed, and at least 2,400 people arrested.
President Macron condemned the protests in a televised address, criticising the "unbridled violence." He said on Sunday: "Watching these images, we have all asked ourselves how could French people do this to France?" He added that "nothing justifies" violence, before a curfew was implemented across many French areas.
