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Students blockade the Louvre as France moves toward local curfews
The Louvre in Paris failed to open on Monday after students blocked its entrance in support of a high school protest movement. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said localized curfews would begin that evening and that a state of emergency remained an option.
Visitors arriving at the Louvre on Monday found the world’s most-visited museum closed. Students blocking its main entrance kept the doors shut past the usual 9 a.m. opening, two days after cost-of-living protests across France spiraled into looting and arson.
Footage filmed around midday shows the protesters lined up at the entrance under the glass pyramid while crowds of tourists wait outside in the courtyard.
Who is behind the blockade?
About 50 students from the École du Louvre, a higher-education school housed in the museum, are taking part, according to museum management quoted by AFP. The CFDT union said students from the Beaux-Arts school in Paris had joined them.
The students say they are acting in solidarity with a high school protest movement that began in mid-September and are denouncing what they call “police repression.” A leaflet left near the museum read: “We are proud to announce that we are blocking the largest museum in the world.”
Earlier in the morning, the demonstrators stood in front of the pyramid with banners reading “365 days of austerity” and “French public services are falling apart.”
What does the Louvre say?
Management said the movement has no direct link to the museum, which is merely being used as an echo chamber. A notice on the Louvre’s website said the museum was closed “for the moment” because of a student protest, and no reopening time was announced. The CGT union, which supports the action but is not taking part, said the closure would last at least until noon.
The blockade came on the first anniversary of the Oct. 19, 2025, heist in which thieves made off with French crown jewels valued at an estimated 88 million euros. Museum staff have also kept in force a strike notice filed in December 2025 over pay and working conditions, as no final deal has been reached with the Culture Ministry.
Curfews from Monday night
Following an interministerial crisis meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he had asked prefects to impose “partial and very localized” curfews starting that evening to protect property, shops and people. “There is no question of putting all of Paris under curfew,” he said.
Lecornu added that the government stood ready to declare a state of emergency if necessary, but that curfews looked like the better fit for now. French media reported that the Châtelet, Les Halles and République areas of Paris could be affected, with prefects in Lille, Marseille and Lyon deciding on local measures. Marseille authorities banned all gatherings and demonstrations from noon to 8 p.m. on Monday.
Shop owners hit by the looting will have their short-time work allowance paid in full by the state from Tuesday, and the government is creating a dedicated support fund.
How the unrest began
Saturday’s nationwide protests against rising living costs turned violent in many cities. The Interior Ministry said 2,397 people were arrested and 997 police officers and gendarmes were injured. President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation on Sunday, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s offer to resign was rejected.
The yellow vest coordination behind Saturday’s protests has called for new demonstrations on Oct. 24, AFP reported.
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