The Louvre closes in protest — RT Games & Culture
Workers at the Louvre museum in Paris joined forces with pension reform protesters to block entrance to the museum on Monday. France has been plagued by protests and riots since the government raised the retirement age earlier this month.
Dozens of protesters, many of them Louvre employees, gathered outside the glass pyramid holding union flags. The protest has prevented tourists from visiting the museum, which houses priceless works of art such as Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ and Caravaggio’s ‘Death of the Virgin’.
More widespread protests are planned for Tuesday, but because the museum is usually closed on Tuesdays, staff demonstrated there a day early. Video pictures shared online showed small groups of protesters marching through the museum’s underground entrance hall.
“Join us to support the Mona Lisa on strike” the CGT union declared on Twitter. A trace Tweeter by the union featured an image of an aged, wrinkled Mona Lisa, with a caption reading “64 is no!”
Towns across France have been rocked by protests – some of which have turned into riots and arson – since President Emmanuel Macron’s government bypassed parliament to pass a bill raising the retirement age for most workers aged 62 to 64.
More than a million people took to the streets last Thursday, according to government figures. In Paris, hundreds of people have been arrested after clashing with riot police and setting fires in the streets of the capital.
Macron insisted he would continue with his reforms. Talks between Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne and trade unions and opposition politicians began this week, but like Macron, Borne stressed the government has no intention of abandoning the legislation.
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