Protesters block entrances to Paris’s Louvre museum

Protesters blocked the entrances to the Louvre museum in Paris on Monday, following a weekend of demonstrations over the cost of living that escalated into violence and looting in several French cities. A sign on the museum gates read “Entrance closed”, while demonstrators handed out leaflets and spoke to passers-by about their action. The Louvre protest was linked to a wider movement initially led by high school students, but the weekend unrest extended beyond student demonstrations. A first-year student at the École du Louvre said the action aimed to bring the cultural sector into the movement, citing budget cuts and worsening working conditions at the museum. She also criticised the police response to Saturday’s protest as repression of a peaceful demonstration.