PARIS, Oct. 19 — Student protesters kept the Louvre from opening Monday, bringing France’s demonstrations over school conditions and living costs to one of the country’s best-known cultural institutions.
EFE said demonstrators included students from the École du Louvre and other student organizations, with union support. They blocked the Pyramid and Richelieu entrances, preventing the museum from opening as scheduled. The Louvre’s visitor notice said student strike action had led to the closure and that reservations for Oct. 19 would be refunded.
Two students told Le Monde they were backing high school demonstrations and wanted increased funding for education and culture. EFE reported that a leaflet distributed outside the museum cited budget cuts, job losses and deteriorating public services. Separately, EFE and Le Monde reported that protesters also criticized police conduct during demonstrations.
Euronews reported that the leaflet presented the blockade as a point of pride, saying, “We are proud to announce that we are blocking the world's largest museum.” Visitors with bookings for Oct. 19 could not enter, though the Louvre said those reservations would be reimbursed.
The action came amid protests over living costs and school conditions. The Associated Press reported that student groups had used school blockades as a protest tactic from mid-September onward. AP also connected the wider protest atmosphere with France’s Yellow Vests movement, which emerged in 2018 amid complaints about social injustice.
The CGT union estimated nearly 800,000 people took part in marches and gatherings across France on Oct. 17. The Associated Press reported that French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez estimated about 550,000 participants across 110 marches. The figures came from separate estimates, with the CGT counting marches and gatherings and Nuñez’s estimate covering 110 marches.
The CGT has called for a cross-sector strike and demonstration on Nov. 5.
