Louvre closes in Paris as French protests intensify

The Louvre Museum in Paris has closed to visitors due to a student strike blocking its entrance, following a weekend of nationwide protests in France during which 2,000 people were arrested. Police used tear gas and clashed with masked demonstrators who set fires and looted shops and public buildings. President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Sunday that those who destroyed or looted property would pay and be held accountable, while promising meetings this week to discuss "concrete proposals" and hear protesters' demands. The protests began in September over school staffing and resources, then expanded into a broader movement against the cost of living and inequality. Over 500,000 people marched on Saturday, mostly peacefully, but violence erupted in several cities, including a fire that collapsed a 143-year-old town hall tower in Limoges. Macron has not yet offered specific concessions, and similar cost-of-living protests are spreading to neighboring countries.