Paris shuts museums, deploy police in big numbers for new protests across France

PARIS: Major museums in Paris closed and authorities deployed a sizable police force for a round of new protests Saturday across France, hoping to prevent a repeat of last week’s violent unrest that shocked the country. Scenes of looting, burned-out cars and attacks on public buildings left the impression that the government had lost control, as groups of masked vandals targeted businesses in Paris and other city centers. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said as many as 70,000 officers will be deployed nationwide, along with helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. A massive turnout is expected again after more than half a million took to the streets last week. Major museums including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais - where a major Cézanne exhibit is on display - are closed Saturday. Art Basel, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public Friday, but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program. Parisian shopkeepers have been barricading their stores all week. Near Place de la République in Paris, one of last weekend’s hot spots, a bank branch and other businesses were boarded up with wooden panels to deter potential looters. Following the unrest, Paris police prefect Patrice Faure urged Parisian shopkeepers to hire security guards. He later clarified that protecting business owners and their establishments is the responsibility of the government. Some 3,000 shops across France were damaged or looted last weekend. Protest marches are scheduled in Paris and Marseille, but some other rallies, including in Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, have been banned by local authorities. Cities outside Paris were hit hard by the unrest. In Limoges, a suspected arson nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall. Trade unions have criticized the bans, calling them violations of freedom of expression, which is protected by the constitution. President Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, entered the crisis in the final stretches of his term, with his popularity at its lowest since he took office in 2017. He has said that the measures are needed to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings. Saturday’s demonstration in the city of Orléans, about 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Paris, will also be closely watched. About 50 organizations have called for a protest against the far right on the sidelines of the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist, anti-immigration party ahead of next spring’s presidential election. Organizers include labor unions, left-wing parties, student and anti-racism groups. The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school southeast of Paris over a lack of staff. From there, class boycotts and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and nationwide, including smaller towns. High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods. Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as unfair. With the government seemingly unable to respond to students’ demands, the movement has morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before the vote to choose Macron’s successor. "The money is now concentrated in the hands of very few people," said Victoria Ambrosini, an art critic and art teacher at Saint-Denis University. "And it’s not possible anymore.”