Louvre and other major Paris museums closed amid protest fears, tourists miss the Mona Lisa

Protests across France over the rising cost of living and the deterioration of public services have brought Paris's cultural scene to a standstill. Fearing fresh protests, the Louvre and several other museums and cultural institutions have been kept closed. Many tourists have thereby missed their chance to see the world-famous Mona Lisa.

The institutions were closed on Saturday (24 October) in view of the security risk. Tourists arriving in Paris from around the world found the main gates locked and had to turn back.

A week earlier, protests over the rising cost of living and declining public services had spread across France. At one stage, clashes began between protesters and law-enforcement forces, creating one of the most violent situations the country has seen in several years.

After those events, the government imposed local curfews in various areas. Security was also strengthened at gathering places and important installations ahead of new protests. The decision to keep the museums closed came as part of that caution.

The closed institutions include the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Orangerie, the Jeu de Paume and the Picasso Museum. The Tuileries Garden area beside the Louvre was also shut completely. With the Louvre's main gate locked, visitors could not enter the museum grounds.

Selena Bertoni, a 31-year-old tourist from Italy, said she had come to Paris on a four-day trip planning to see the Musée d'Orsay's Impressionist paintings and other artworks. She had spent 50 euros on two tickets, but the closure left her disappointed.

Bertoni said that while she had suspected there might be trouble, she had not imagined the museums would be closed. Both her advance tickets and her planned itinerary have been thrown into uncertainty.

Heidi Roger, a 21-year-old French tourist, described the same experience. She said this was the third museum they had found closed. Had they been warned in advance, they could have made other plans, she felt.

Don Noshchuk, a 67-year-old Canadian tourist, voiced his frustration standing in front of the Louvre. Visiting Paris for two nights, he had hoped at least to see the museum's glass-pyramid entrance. With the whole area closed, even that was impossible.

Pointing to the heavy deployment of armed police in Paris, Noshchuk said that closing the museums despite such security struck him as somewhat unusual. His remark echoed the feelings of many tourists.

The protests have also hit Paris's cultural and entertainment sector. For security reasons, the Paris Opera closed both its venues, the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille. The organisers of the internationally known art fair Art Basel Paris also cancelled their weekend programme.

The institutions concerned had published warnings about the closures as early as Friday, but many tourists never heard the news. Catherine Sebag, a 59-year-old French tourist, said they had not imagined a museum could be closed, and admitted they had been somewhat careless in not checking beforehand.

The decision to keep Paris's major cultural landmarks closed because of the protests seeks, on the one hand, to ensure safety, while on the other it has caused real hardship for the countless tourists visiting the city. All eyes are now on when the museums will reopen once the situation calms.