The Avant-Première preview of the Art Basel Paris fair attracted major collectors despite an escalation of anti-government protests, riots and looting across French cities.
On Monday, protesters blocked the entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris. The demonstrations in support of public education and the cost of living were held in several French cities, including Marseille, Lille and Nice.
The targeted restrictions are part of a state effort to reassert control after the country’s largest riots in years, as those arrested in the chaos face expedited trials.
The interior minister acknowledged that the police were underprepared for the scale of the riots. But Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended their efforts and pledged to restore order.
Bally Bagayoko, the mayor of a working-class suburb near Paris, has been a regular presence at student demonstrations, prompting both applause and condemnation.
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