Riots in Paris shut down the world's busiest and most famous museum

The Louvre, the world’s busiest and best-known museum, has shut its doors as disorder sweeps Paris.

The museum, home to some of the planet’s most famous artworks, such as the “Mona Lisa” and the “Venus de Milo,” said Monday that it had closed after protesters blocked its doors, extending the disruption beyond a weekend of demonstrations and riots across France. “Dear visitors, due to student strikes the museum is currently closed.

We apologize for the inconvenience,” the Louvre said in a post on X.

It gave no reopening time, and did not say whether it would reopen on Monday.

Students from the École du Louvre led the blockade in support of a nationwide high school protest movement and to denounce what they called police repression, AFP reported, citing museum management and unions.

The Louvre is visited by about 9 million people annually, making it by far the world’s most visited museum.

The closure followed a weekend of protests over rising living costs and conditions in schools, with violence and looting in several French cities.