Paris Museums Shut Doors as France Braces for Nationwide Protests
Paris museums close and businesses board up as 70,000 police officers deploy across France to prevent further violent unrest during weekend protests.
POLICY WIRE — Paris, France — Major cultural institutions across Paris have shuttered their doors as the nation prepares for a fresh wave of demonstrations this Saturday. Authorities have mobilized a massive security presence in an attempt to avert the violent unrest that gripped the country last week.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that 70,000 police officers are being deployed nationwide. The security operation includes the use of helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons to maintain order as officials anticipate another massive turnout following last week’s mobilization of over half a million people.
The Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Picasso Museum, and the Grand Palais—currently hosting a Cézanne exhibit—have all suspended operations for the day. Additionally, organizers of Art Basel, a premier contemporary art fair, canceled their weekend programming after the event was limited to a single day of public access on Friday due to the threat of violence.
Throughout the week, Parisian shopkeepers have taken defensive measures, installing barricades to protect their storefronts. Near the Place de la République, a frequent flashpoint for recent demonstrations, businesses and bank branches have been reinforced with wooden panels to discourage potential looting.
These precautions follow widespread damage last weekend, during which approximately 3,000 shops across France were looted or vandalized. The protest movement, which began last month with high school students in the southeast of Paris demanding improved conditions, has since expanded into a nationwide outcry against the rising cost of living.
While marches remain scheduled for Paris and Marseille, local authorities have prohibited rallies in several other cities, including Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier. Previous unrest caused significant destruction in regional areas, such as a suspected arson attack that nearly leveled the 19th-century city hall in Limoges.
Tensions are further elevated by a planned demonstration against the far right, organized by a coalition of 50 groups including labor unions, student organizations, and left-wing parties. The protest is set to take place alongside the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration party as the country looks toward next spring’s presidential election.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
