Student blockade forces Louvre to close as disorder continues across France

The Musée du Louvre was forced to close to visitors yesterday (19 October) due to a student blockade.

According to reports, around 50 arts and culture students barricaded the Paris museum’s glass pyramid, Carrousel du Louvre, and Passage Richelieu entrances.  

Many of the students were reportedly from the École du Louvre, an independent school on the museum’s grounds that offers higher education courses in subjects such as art history, archaeology, anthropology and museology.

In leaflets handed out to onlookers, the students said they were protesting government budget cuts, public education underfunding, and what they described as heavy-handed police tactics and "repression" used against demonstrators in recent weeks.

“We are proud to announce that we have blocked the largest museum in the world,” the students said.

They said the museum blockade was a last resort after several weeks of mobilisation, and expressed their support for the student movement.

A temporary closure notice issued by the museum said: "Dear visitors, due to student strikes, the museum is currently closed. We apologise for the inconvenience.”

The museum’s management team told the media the protest had no direct connection to the Louvre itself but that the museum was being used “as an echo chamber”.

The student blockade came as disorder continued across the country over the weekend.

The current unrest began in September when a group of students went on strike against educational conditions and the high cost of living.

The protests have since spread nationwide, with more than 500,000 people taking to the streets over the weekend.

Some of the demonstrations have escalated into looting, rioting and violence; on Saturday 17 October the historic town hall of Limoges in central France was set ablaze, suffering catastrophic damage, while the 19^th-century tourist office building in the city of Lyon was also burnt down.

Other historic sites to suffer damage include the Place de la Republique in Paris, where statues and monuments have been vandalised in the protests.   

Curfews have been announced in some cities as authorities seek to quell the disorder.