Paris: Student protesters have opened a new front in their demands of the French government and surprised visitors to the country’s most renowned museum.
Hundreds of students blocked access to the Louvre in a bid to force the government to spend more on cultural institutions, forcing thousands of visitors to shelve their plans to see the Mona Lisa and other exhibits.
The move highlighted the questions over rallies that have grown steadily bigger across France over the past month, leading to an explosion of violence on the weekend when rioters stormed through city streets.
The student movement is urging people to accept a distinction between the peaceful rallies over government policy and the violent confrontations where masked rioters have looted stores and set fire to buildings, cars, and other property.
French President Emmanuel Macron has admitted there were failures in the police response to the unrest on Saturday night and cleared the way for tougher rules, including curfews in some locations.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ruled out a blanket curfew in Paris but authorised restrictions in key locations, including the Place de la Republique and the Les Halles shopping precinct, both areas where looting took place over the weekend.
Police prepared for the changes on Monday by stopping young people trying to enter the Place de la Republique, checking their bags and identities before deciding whether to let them pass.
The violence around the historic square has been dominated by younger protesters in balaclavas and ski masks who have confronted the police, lit fires on the streets and looted stores.
The curfew in the Paris locations is due to last from 11pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday, which corresponds to 8am on Tuesday, AEDT, to 3pm on Tuesday, AEDT.
Cities and towns across France have chosen different approaches to keep the peace. In Nice, Mayor Eric Ciotti announced a curfew for young people from 9pm to 6am for the rest of this week.
Ciotti said the order was issued in consultation with the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, which announced in a separate update that objects such as fireworks and flammable substances have been banned. The region has also banned wearing ski goggles and similar equipment to hide faces.
The riots and looting have deepened a public debate about the demonstrations, but students argue that their rallies are totally separate from the violence.
One student at the Louvre barricade, Inaya Plieu, said the violent “breakers” had nothing to do with the students.
“The media is showing only the violence, only the breakers, only the bad things,” she told this masthead.
“But on Saturday there was a lot of really peaceful people. The problem is that our government right now is not allowing us to open a dialogue.
“We don’t support the breakers. We don’t support the destroying of buildings, of anything.”
Visitors to the Louvre were dismayed on Monday when they arrived to find students blocking the entrance in front of the famous glass pyramid.
Some tourists chanted at the students in frustration and challenged them to help the museum by letting visitors enter.
The students responded by telling the visitors the purpose of the protest was to increase funding for the Louvre and other institutions because entry fees were not enough to fund the heritage collections.
