Major Paris museums closed for the weekend as France braced for nationwide protests on Saturday, 24 October 2026, with organisers citing safety concerns. The Paris museums closure included the Louvre, Orsay, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais, according to Particle News and Policy-Wire.
Art Basel cut its programme as museums shut their doors, officials said. Many businesses boarded up storefronts in city centres, while local authorities prohibited rallies in several cities, including Lyon, Nice and Montpellier, according to Policy-Wire.
Limoges city hall fire haunts weekend
Previous unrest caused significant destruction in regional areas, including a suspected arson attack that nearly levelled the 19th-century city hall in Limoges, officials said. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu visited Limoges on Friday evening as part of efforts to address the situation.
The mayor of Limoges said what happened there will have an influence on the upcoming presidential election, according to reports. Overnight curfews were imposed in Limoges and gatherings in the centre were limited to 10 people, officials said.
In Marseille, a previous order barring all protests was swiftly reversed to allow a trade union-organised march to go ahead, officials said. A Paris court had previously lifted a local ban on at least one earlier demonstration.
Counter-protests add to tensions
Tensions were further elevated by a planned demonstration against the far right, organised by a coalition of 50 groups including labour unions, student organisations and left-wing parties, officials said. The counter-protest coincided with the two-day congress of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party.
The congress in Orleans, about 120 kilometres south of Paris, was seen as a potential flashpoint, officials said. The city’s mayor warned that the numbers expected in Orleans were unprecedented and said thousands of police would be deployed.
Authorities said surveillance drones would be used in Paris and that military Sentinelle elements were authorised to free up regular police. Businesses and cultural institutions said they would reopen when officials judged it safe to do so.
Cultural officials said closed museums would announce reopening plans once police advised surrounding streets were safe, and they urged ticket holders to check official websites for refunds or rescheduling, rather than travelling to closed sites in central Paris during the protest weekend.
