Paris Students Block Louvre Entrance, Forcing Closure
Students from the independent École du Louvre and the National School of Fine Arts are leading the ongoing action.
Dozens of students from the École du Louvre, a higher education arts institution in the Louvre Palace in Paris, began blocking the main entrance of the Louvre Museum today, October 19, as nationwide protests over the overcrowded and underresourced conditions of France's education system reach the one-month mark.
The blockade prevented the institution from opening at 9 am as students from the grande école, which is located on the museum grounds but operates independently, played music, held up protest art, and distributed leaflets to passersby that read, "We are proud to announce that we are blocking the world's largest museum." Members of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour trade union also stated that students from the National School of Fine Arts are taking part in the demonstration, according to European outlets. The museum did not open today, and it remains unclear whether it will tomorrow.
The Louvre has not replied to Hyperallergic's immediate request for comment.
