Paris barricaded as protests shut down capital for second Saturday

Paris remained largely deserted on October 24 as a second Saturday of protests prompted widespread closures and barricades across the capital, with businesses, museums, and streets shut down under threat of violence and looting. The Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, a main artery between Bastille and Nation squares, was placed under siege-like conditions, with shops covering windows in thick planks and tape. A security guard reported working cold, humid nights since the previous Sunday, while major institutions like the Louvre, Orsay, and Picasso museums closed, automatically refunding visitors. Tourists Pietro and Paola from Florence expressed regret for not checking closures, admitting they underestimated France's situation and would have postponed their vacation. Police on horseback patrolled the Rue de Rivoli as the city braced for further unrest.