France is mobilizing its largest security footprint in years ahead of Saturday’s planned demonstrations, with 70,000 police officers and gendarmes deploying nationwide as the Louvre and other cultural landmarks shutter their doors.
The Interior Ministry’s show of force includes helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons, with elite units assigned to protect public buildings in what officials describe as a “highly mobile” operation. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez outlined the scale of the response at a news conference, citing specific threats circulating online.
“There have been numerous calls from radical far-left groups on social media to commit acts of violence and vandalism. There have also been renewed calls for looting, with those messages clearly being spread by rioters,” Nuñez said.
“We will be absolutely uncompromising” with those involved in violence, he continued, warning that police will have a “very firm approach to making arrests, and there will be legal consequences.”
The Culture Ministry confirmed that the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Grand Palais would all close Saturday. The ministry directed institutions under its authority to take “any necessary measures” to safeguard visitors, staff and artworks.
The closures extend to Art Basel Paris, one of the world’s premier contemporary art fairs, where 211 international galleries had gathered at the Grand Palais. After operating by invitation only for two days, the fair opened to the public Friday for a single day before organizers scrapped the weekend entirely.
“This decision has not been taken lightly, and the safety of everyone involved in the fair remains our utmost priority,” organizers said in a Thursday statement.
The security clampdown follows unrest last week that marked France’s most violent episode in years, with demonstrators setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting stores and battling police across multiple cities.
Saturday’s protests are expected to draw a coalition of grievances. Students, CGT labor union members and activists from the “yellow vest” movement — whose 2018 and 2019 demonstrations against social inequality convulsed the country — plan to march against the high cost of living.
Gallery owners Antoine Donzeaud and Elisa Rigoulet, whose space exo exo was participating in Art Basel, endorsed the shutdown in a text message: “We understand this decision, which we consider reasonable and consistent with the urgency of the social demands currently unfolding in France.”
Art collector Saloni Doshi, who traveled from India for the fair, had already felt the tension last Saturday as fires burned and panicked crowds scattered. Friends called asking whether Paris remained safe. She told reporters she agreed with the organizers’ call to close.
Beyond the capital, authorities are tracking a separate flashpoint in Orléans, roughly 70 miles south of Paris, where 20,000 to 30,000 demonstrators are expected to converge. Hugues Moutouh, prefect of the Loiret region, confirmed those estimates.
The Orléans protest targets the far-right National Rally’s two-day congress, where Marine Le Pen is rallying her nationalist, anti-immigration party ahead of presidential elections next spring. About 50 organizations — labor unions, left-wing parties, student groups and anti-racism collectives — have called for the counter-demonstration.
Le Pen, whom polls currently place as the front-runner for the presidency, accused left-wing organizations of attempting to “disrupt a political party’s democratic congress” in remarks to news broadcaster Franceinfo. She added that she had “no concerns” about security, noting the government had “recognized the need for measures allowing the congress to proceed safely.”