Paris Closes Museums as Police Deploy for New France Protests

PARIS – Paris prepared for another day of demonstrations Saturday as major museums shut their doors and authorities mobilized a large police presence across France. Officials are seeking to prevent a repeat of the violent unrest that shook the country the previous week.

Last weekend’s scenes of looting, torched vehicles and assaults on public buildings fueled the perception that the government had lost control. Masked groups attacked shops and other businesses in Paris and several major cities.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the nationwide security operation could involve up to 70,000 police officers, supported by helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons.

Authorities are bracing for another large turnout after more than 500,000 people joined demonstrations across France the week before.

Museums close as Paris retailers fear renewed violence

The Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais were among the leading Paris attractions closed Saturday. The Grand Palais is hosting a major Cézanne exhibition. Art Basel, one of the most prominent contemporary art fairs, welcomed visitors Friday but canceled its weekend schedule because of concerns over further unrest.

Shop owners throughout Paris spent the week reinforcing their businesses. Around Place de la République, a focal point during the previous weekend’s unrest, a bank and several other storefronts were covered with wooden boards in an effort to keep looters out.

After the violence, Paris police prefect Patrice Faure advised retailers to consider hiring private security. He later emphasized that the government remains responsible for safeguarding business owners and their properties.

Across France, roughly 3,000 stores were damaged or ransacked during last weekend’s unrest.

Authorities prohibit some demonstrations

Demonstrations are planned in Paris and Marseille, while officials in Lyon, Nice and Montpellier have prohibited several other rallies. The unrest also caused extensive damage beyond the capital. In Limoges, a suspected arson attack almost destroyed the city’s 19th-century town hall.

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Trade unions condemned the restrictions, arguing that the bans violate the constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression.

President Emmanuel Macron, a centrist leader approaching the final phase of his term, is confronting the crisis as his approval ratings sit at their lowest level since he entered office in 2017. He has defended the security measures as necessary to protect businesses, public buildings and urban centers.

Saturday’s protest in Orléans, roughly 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Paris, is also expected to draw close attention.

Around 50 organizations have urged people to demonstrate against the far right alongside the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration party, held ahead of next spring’s presidential election. Labor unions, left-wing political groups, students and anti-racism organizations are among those backing the protest.

Students and workers voice mounting frustration

The protest movement began last month at a high school southeast of Paris, where students demonstrated over inadequate staffing levels.

Class boycotts and demonstrations soon spread through other Paris suburbs and across the country, reaching smaller towns as well. Students have highlighted chronic school underfunding and staff shortages, especially in poorer neighborhoods. Many have also demanded changes to the university admissions system, which they consider unfair.

As frustration grew over what protesters viewed as the government’s failure to address their concerns, the movement expanded into a broader backlash against rising living costs—only months before voters choose Macron’s successor.

“Money is now concentrated in the hands of a very small number of people,” said Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and art teacher at Saint-Denis University. “That is no longer sustainable.”