Students block Louvre entrance in Paris as Yellow Vests call new protests

Students blocked the entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris on Monday morning to show their support for high school protests and to denounce what they described as "police repression," according to the museum's management and two unions.

The museum was unable to open at its usual time of 9 a.m. A notice posted by the protesters around the Louvre read: "We are proud to announce that we are closing the entrance to the world's largest museum."

Meanwhile, the Yellow Vests coordination group, which organized demonstrations across France last Saturday against the rising cost of living that escalated into chaos in several cities, announced a new day of action for next Saturday, October 24.

The group published a map on its website showing dozens of planned events.

Benjamin Ball, who manages the website, told Agence France-Presse: "There is clearly huge momentum for a second wave of mobilization."

In Marseille, southern France, authorities announced a ban on all "gatherings or demonstrations" on Monday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. GMT, following violence and looting that occurred on the sidelines of Saturday's protests.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is expected to arrive in Marseille, France's second-largest city, on Monday afternoon after the city's left-wing mayor, Benoît Payan, strongly criticized the handling of law enforcement, citing a lack of security forces on the ground.