In brief
The culture ministry will close the Louvre, Orsay and Picasso museums on Saturday, 24 October, while Art Basel Paris has cancelled its weekend programme at the Grand Palais.
Clashes, arson and looting on Saturday, 17 October, were described by AP as France's most violent unrest in years, and 2,700 people were detained since then according to Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin.
UNEF has called demonstrations for Saturday, 24 October, and the Yellow Vest movement has asked to march through central Paris, with protests in Marseille and Lyon banned.
On Thursday, 22 October, Emmanuel Macron said only union-organised demonstrations would be permitted in the coming days, while CFDT leader Marylise Léon said the measure would not ease tensions.
- 22 October, Art BaselOrganizers cancel the fair's weekend programme
- 23 OctArt Basel Paris opens to the public for one day
- 24 OctMuseums closed and union-led protests planned for the day
Museums shut ahead of Saturday's protests
France's culture ministry will keep the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Picasso museum closed on Saturday, 24 October, because authorities fear new violence at protests planned for the same day. In a statement to The Associated Press, the ministry said the Orsay and Picasso museums are among the venues affected. Some reports also list the Grand Palais among the closures. The ministry has asked every institution under its authority to take whatever measures it judges necessary to protect visitors, staff and artworks.
Weekend unrest behind the decision
Protests on Saturday, 17 October, escalated into clashes with police, with rioters setting fires, smashing shop windows and looting shops. AP described the violence as the most serious unrest France has seen in years. Night-time movement restrictions were later imposed in parts of Paris and other cities. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said 2,700 people had been detained since that Saturday, and that 217 of them, mostly young men, were placed in custody.
- Detained
- 2700 people
- Placed in custody
- 217 people
Data from the article text
Art Basel Paris cancels its weekend
Art Basel Paris, held at the Grand Palais with 211 international galleries, admitted the public for the first time on Friday, 23 October, after two days of invitation-only access. Organizers had announced on Thursday, 22 October, that the weekend programme would be cancelled because of the threat of unrest. Weekend ticketholders are to be contacted directly. The organizers said in a statement:
“This decision has not been taken lightly, and the safety of everyone involved in the fair remains our utmost priority.”
Art collector Saloni Doshi, who travelled to Paris from India, said she agreed with the decision after watching fires and panicked crowds on Saturday, 17 October. The gallery owners Antoine Donzeaud and Elisa Rigoulet of exo exo said they understood the closure and considered it reasonable.
How the sequence unfolded
The key dates run from the unrest on 17 October to the planned protests on 24 October.
The closure announcement and the fair's cancellation both came on 22 October, while the public opening took place the following day.Protests planned for Saturday
The main student union, UNEF, has called demonstrations for Saturday, 24 October, and the Yellow Vest movement has asked to march through central Paris. These protests follow demonstrations by secondary school pupils in September against teacher shortages and poor conditions in schools. President Emmanuel Macron was due to meet student representatives on Friday, 23 October, but UNEF said the protests would go ahead. On Thursday, 22 October, Macron said protests he considered illegitimate would be banned in the coming days, and that only demonstrations organised by unions would be allowed. He blamed far-left groups for the violence, which the party France Insoumise rejected. CFDT secretary general Marylise Léon said the restrictions would not reduce tensions. Local authorities banned all Saturday protests in Marseille and Lyon, and the Marseille Chamber of Commerce urged companies to close their offices that day.