The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Plan to Close Amid Protests in Paris
Tourist attractions across Paris are shutting down this weekend, as the city prepares for another round of violent protests. On Thursday, it was announced via Twitter that the Eiffel tower would close to the public on Saturday due to the planned demonstrations. The popular site also clarified that all tickets bought online would be automatically refunded.
🇫🇷 En raison des manifestations annoncées à #Paris, je serai fermée au public toute la journée du #8Decembre. ⚠
Demain, une attente importante est à prévoir pour les visiteurs souhaitant acheter un billet sur place.
▶ Tenez-vous au courant : https://t.co/5jhY561sRB pic.twitter.com/U6G64ZPJdD- La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) December 6, 2018
Similarly, French culture minister Franck Riester told the radio outlet TRL that the Louvre, the Orsay museum, and the Grand Palais will also be closed on Saturday. The Arc de Triomphe remains closed after last week's riots, when it was vandalized.
"We cannot take the risk when we know the threat," Riester said, according to Reuters.
A number of shops and restaurants near the Champs Elysees will also be shut down on Saturday. "On Friday, workers were seen preparing and securing the area by barricading shop windows," according to ABC News.
These various precautions stem from violent protests this past Saturday by the "gilet jaune" or "yellow jackets" movement. Also referred to as the "yellow vest" movement, the protests began in opposition to a new tax increase on fuel. But according to CNN, they have "morphed into a movement of many colors, with extremist groups jumping on the bandwagon."
CNN also reports that "among the protesters are anarchists, elements of the anti-immigration populists and hard-core fascists," in addition to students seeking changes to the education system, and the initial group arguing for tax reform.
During the riots last weekend, fires were started in at six buildings and in 112 vehicles, and a number of stores were looted.
The Associated Press reports that 89,000 police officers will be deployed on Saturday across the country to help keep the peace, and in Paris, they will utilize armored vehicles. “We are facing people who don’t come to protest but to destroy,” French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.
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