Pension reform demonstrators block Louvre as tensions rise

Protesters in France angered by President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans yesterday blocked entrances to the Louvre in Paris, frustrating crowds of visitors.

Hundreds of demonstrators, many carrying trade union flags, gathered outside the museum to protest the move to raise the pension age.

“The Mona Lisa is on strike,” one protester said.

Footage posted on social media appeared to show dozens of demonstrators marching through the museum.

Others gathered at the foot of the Louvre’s glass pyramid.

The incident frustrated tourists who queued outside.

“This is ridiculous, we come from everywhere in the world with our children to visit a museum and it’s ridiculous that 20 people are blocking the entrance,” one man said.

The Louvre said it closed on 9am “on the initiative of the museum staff union”.

“This initiative is part of the continued mobilisation of the inter-union Culture to demand the withdrawal of the pension reform,” it said.

Mr Macron has pushed the law through parliament using a special provision that allows him to avoid a vote.

Unions have called for further protests today as they look to force the government to back down over the law, which will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Mr Macron, whose approval ratings in opinion polls are at a low ebb, last week said he accepted that the reform was unpopular with the public.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that, while there was no plan to drop the legislation, she was ready to hold negotiations with union officials.

“We have to find the right path ... we need to calm down,” she said.