Several French museums, monuments and cultural venues had to close on Thursday (18 September) because of a one-day strike against budget austerity. One week after partial closures caused by a movement called “let’s block everything”, supported by some unions, the Musée du Louvre, the Château de Versailles and the exhibition galleries at the Grand Palais were partially closed Thursday. At the Musée d’Orsay, employees let visitors enter the museum freely.
The Arc de Triomphe, the Panthéon and the Musée Picasso closed in Paris, as did dozens of monuments and institutions across the country. Representatives for the national union CGT say that workers at more than 50 theatres and concert halls voted to go on strike. Demonstrators protested in front of the office of the culture minister, Rachida Dati.
In Normandy, the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux is closed for two years for renovations and the removal of the tapestry celebrating the Norman invasion of England had to be postponed due to the strikes. The 70m-long embroidery (it is not a tapestry, despite the name) is to be transported to an unknown intermediary site before its trip across the English Channel to the British Museum, where it is expected to go on view in September 2026.
The planned loan has raised some concerns, particularly from those who worry the embroidery is too fragile to be safely transported abroad. More than 73,000 people have signed a petition demanding the cancellation of the loan, which was promised to British prime minister Keith Starmer by French president Emmanuel Macron. The British Museum’s director Nicholas Cullinan and the French president’s office insist that the embroidery is safe to travel to London.
France, which has had five prime ministers since 2024, is expecting a new government after a no-confidence vote at the parliament, as the country is struggling with a public debt that has swollen to 113% of the gross domestic product. Although the country’s cultural sector is still heavily subsidised, it has suffered significant budget cuts in recent years.
