France protests: Louvre shuts down over fears of violence in Paris

The Louvre is closed on Saturday, along with several other major Paris museums, because of concerns about potential violence during planned protests, France's culture ministry says.The Orsay and Picasso museums are also among those that are closed, the ministry said.The ministry called on all institutions under its authority to adopt any necessary measures to ensure “visitor safety, staff protection and the preservation of artworks”.The closures follow protests last Saturday that descended into mayhem, with rioters setting fires, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police.The clashes and widespread looting over the weekend marked France's most violent unrest in years, and the French capital has been gripped by social tension.People stand in front of the Louvre Museum on Saturday (Reuters)Art Basel Paris is among those taking the same tack.After two days when admission was invite-only, the fair opened to the public on Friday – but only for the day.Organisers cancelled the weekend program on Thursday, prompted by the threat of unrest.The fair's Paris venue, the Grand Palais, is hosting 211 international galleries and their exhibitions for Art Basel, considered one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art fairs.“It’s kind of like the art Olympics,” New York-based artist Drake Carr, who is showing his work with Mariposa Gallery, said.A protest on Thursday afternoon in Paris was peaceful, and Art Basel's organisers announced the decision to close for the weekend around the same time.The protest planned for Saturday is expected to be much larger.Workers block the entrance of the Louvre museum during a protest against rising living costs on 19 October (AP)"This decision has not been taken lightly, and the safety of everyone involved in the fair remains our utmost priority," organizers said in a statement.Its website posted a similar announcement and said that weekend ticketholders would be contacted.Saloni Doshi, an art collector who travelled to Paris from India for the fair, grew worried last Saturday as she saw the fires and panicked people.She received phone calls from friends asking whether Paris was safe.She agreed with the organisers' rationale to close.“It's hard that something like this has to happen, but state activities and people's freedom have to continue,” she said. “I cannot imagine that a bunch of elite, privileged people getting inconvenienced because of this should have a voice.”Antoine Donzeaud and Elisa Rigoulet, the owners of the gallery exo exo, felt the same.“We understand this decision, which we consider reasonable and consistent with the urgency of the social demands currently unfolding in France,” they said in a text message.