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.
What began as a protest at one underdeveloped suburban high school outside Paris over crumbling infrastructure, grueling hours, staffing cuts, and a litany of other issues within the French education system last month has surged into nationwide strikes over the diminished ability to study and work in France.
Separate from the peaceful demonstrations, some individuals began stealing from shops and setting storefronts aflame across Paris and other French cities over the weekend, resulting in violent clashes with the police. Riot police reportedly threw tear gas and launched water cannons at some protesters, and beat others with batons, according to the BBC. Though the French government has not released figures about the total number of protester injuries, according to the French Interior Ministry, nearly 2,400 people were arrested, and about 1,000 police officers and firefighters were injured.
"French students and workers are currently fighting their government and its anti-public-services politics," one of the leaflets distributed at the protest reads. "We thank you for your interest in French culture, and for standing with our fight to study, to work, and to live freely in good conditions."