Students block access to Louvre Museum in support of high school protests

Students blocked access to the Louvre Museum in Paris on Monday in support of ongoing high school protests and to denounce what they described as police repression, the French media reported.

The blockade prevented the museum from opening at its usual time of 9 am, according to management and unions cited by the daily Le Parisien.

Students from the Ecole du Louvre led the action, while the CFDT trade union said students from the National School of Fine Arts also participated.

Museum management said the protest had no direct connection to the Louvre itself, describing the museum as being used “as an echo chamber.”

The CGT trade union, which supported the action without participating, said the museum would remain closed at least until noon.

Protesters placed the blockade within a broader struggle for the right to study, work and live freely in decent conditions.

The action follows a high school protest movement that began in mid-September. It also comes two days after nationwide demonstrations against the high cost of living that were marred by unrest in several French cities.

The Ecole du Louvre, located within the museum grounds, offers higher education courses in subjects including art history, archaeology, anthropology and museology.