Paris museums close, shops build barricades ahead of more protests

Major museums in Paris closed and authorities deployed a sizable police force for a round of new protests Saturday across France, hoping to prevent a repeat of last week's violent unrest that shocked the country.France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said as many as 70,000 officers will be deployed nationwide, along with helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons.A massive turnout is expected again after more than half a million took to the streets last week. Shops on the Champs-Elysees are barricading themselves in ahead of the planned protests in Paris, France on October 23, 2026. Luc Auffret/Anadolu via Getty Images Major museums including the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais - where a Cézanne exhibit is on display - are closed Saturday. Art Basel, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art fairs, opened to the public Friday, but only for the day, with the threat of unrest prompting organizers to cancel the weekend program.Parisian shopkeepers have been barricading their stores all week. Near Place de la République in Paris, one of last weekend's hot spots, a bank branch and other businesses were boarded up with wooden panels to deter potent...