Protesters block Louvre entrance in Paris amid protests in France

Protesters have blocked the entrance to the Louvre, the world’s largest museum. “We are proud to announce that we are blocking the world’s largest museum,” reads a leaflet the demonstrators put up next to the building. The action is part of a wave of protests in France.

The Louvre as a protest stage

The entrance was also blocked by students of the École du Louvre art school, who wanted to support the high-school students’ movement and condemn police repression. A French TV station reported this, citing the museum’s management and two unions representing its staff. According to management, the action has no direct connection to the museum itself: the broadcaster says the protesters are simply using the Louvre as a platform to make themselves heard.

A general strike across all sectors has been called in France for November 5. The broadcaster warned that the demonstration may again be accompanied by brutal violence, including looting and attacks on public buildings.

Marseille bans gatherings

The prefecture of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, banned all gatherings on Monday. “This is a response to the looting and destruction in the city centre over the weekend,” the French broadcaster said. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is due to visit the city in the afternoon. On Saturday, demonstrators broke into the historic town hall by the Old Port, and the main base of the municipal police on the Canebière boulevard was also targeted. Police used tear gas and water cannon.

The authorities are dealing with the aftermath of mass protests against the rising cost of living, which drew several hundred thousand people over the weekend. In many cities they turned into violence by radical groups: police detained almost 2,400 people, and about 1,000 officers were injured.

The “yellow vests” movement, which defined anti-government protests in France in 2018–2019 and is now seeing a new surge of activity, has announced fresh mass demonstrations for Saturday. President Emmanuel Macron said the security forces were not sufficiently prepared for the protests and lacked good intelligence. He rejected Nuñez’s offer to resign and instructed him to prepare new measures against violence.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz

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