{
  "id": 16462547,
  "title": "Mona Lisa off limits as Paris shuts museums over protest fears",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/mona-lisa-off-limits-as-paris-shuts-museums-over-protest-fears",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-25T10:05:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40445860/mona-lisa-off-limits-as-paris-shuts-museums-over-protest-fears"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Paris museums remained off-limits to tourists on Saturday as the capital shut down galleries and cultural venues in a precautionary measure amid fears of fresh protests. The Louvre, home to the renowned Mona Lisa, barred entry to visitors, leaving disappointed travelers like Italian social educator Selena Bertoni, 31, dismayed. She had traveled to Paris for a four-day trip, anticipating a day of exploring its famed Impressionist paintings and other masterpieces, but was left frustrated by the museum’s closure. The closures followed a week of nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living and dwindling public services, which escalated into some of the worst street violence France had witnessed in years. The government subsequently imposed localized curfews and closed numerous public venues ahead of demonstrations scheduled for Saturday. The Louvre was not the only museum affected; the Orangerie, Jeu de Paume, Picasso museums, and the entire Tuileries Gardens complex surrounding the Louvre were also sealed off. Visitors expressed disappointment, with French tourist Heidi Rosar, 21, stating, “This is the third museum we have come to that is closed. They should’ve warned us.” At the Louvre, the locked gates blocked not only access to the museum but also the iconic pyramid marking its entrance. Canadian Don Nowschuk, 67, visited the city for two nights and felt the security measures seemed excessive, remarking, “There is so much security that you would think it would be enough to secure the museum.” Performing arts sectors also suffered, with the Paris Opera shutting down both the Palais Garnier and Opéra Bastille due to safety concerns. The prestigious Art Basel Paris fair canceled its weekend program, prompting warnings from cultural centers about the closures on Friday. Some visitors, however, were caught off-guard by the news, with French woman Catherine Sebbagh, 59, admitting, “How could we have known? We didn’t think a museum could be closed. We are a bit naive.”",
  "summary": "PARIS: Disappointed tourists poked their heads through the Louvre’s locked gates on Saturday, shut off from the Mona Lisa as galleries and museums across Paris closed as a precaution ahead of fresh demonstrations. “When we came, we thought there could be a problem but not that the museum would be closed,” Italian social educator Selena Bertoni, 31, said in front of the Musée d’Orsay. On a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}