Paris museums close as police deploy across France for protests

Major museums in Paris closed and authorities deployed up to 70,000 officers nationwide Saturday to prevent a repeat of last week's violent unrest, which included looting and attacks on public buildings. Protests are scheduled in Paris and Marseille, with some rallies banned elsewhere. The Louvre, Orsay Museum, Picasso Museum and Grand Palais were shut, and Art Basel canceled its weekend program. Some 3,000 shops were damaged or looted last week, prompting Parisian shopkeepers to board up businesses and authorities to urge hiring security guards. The demonstrations began last month over school staffing shortages and have expanded to broader grievances about living costs and inequality. President Emmanuel Macron's popularity is at its lowest since 2017, with the unrest occurring months before the presidential election.