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Day off for Mona Lisa as striking workers shut Louvre / Photo: © AFP
Day off for Mona Lisa as striking workers shut Louvre
The Louvre in Paris, the most visited museum in the world and home to the Mona Lisa, was shut to visitors all day Monday after workers striking over pension reforms blocked the entrance, AFP correspondents said.
The action came ahead of a new day of national strikes and protests in France against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms.
The Louvre is closed on a Tuesday but, unlike many other museums in France, is traditionally open on a Monday.
"Due to public strikes, the Musee du Louvre is not able to be open for now. We thank you for your understanding," it said in English on Twitter.
Dozens of employees of the museum and other cultural sites stood outside the museum holding banners opposing the pensions reform and waving flags of their unions.
The museum was visited by almost eight million people last year, with long queues normally snaking outside its iconic pyramid entrance as visitors seek to view da Vinci's Mona Lisa and other masterpieces.
A.S. Leite--JDB
