THE LOUVRE MUSEUM in Paris has closed to the public as staff participate in the wave of French protest strikes against the government’s unpopular pension reform plans.

Dozens of employees blocked the entrance to the Louvre, prompting the museum to announce it would be temporarily closed.

The demonstrators held banners and flags in front of the Louvre’s famed pyramid, where President Emmanuel Macron had celebrated his election victory in 2017.

They demanded the repeal of the new pension law that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The action comes on the eve of another nationwide protest planned for tomorrow against the bill and as Macron holds a meeting with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to discuss the way forward.

As the Louvre is always closed on Tuesdays, its staff protested a day early.

Some tourists were stoic about the artistic blockade. Britney Tate, a 29-year-old doctoral student from California, said: “If you firmly believe that this will bring some change, there’s plenty of other things that we can see in Paris.”

Others who had travelled were more vocal about the inconvenience.

“We’re going to respect their strike tomorrow, but to do this today, it’s just heart-breaking,” said Karma Carden, a tourist from Fort Myers, Florida.

Protests have been ongoing for weeks over the reforms, with polls indicating that most French people oppose the plan.

Bins have become a symbol of the protests amid a strike by collectors, while strikes in other industries like aviation have also caused major disruption.