Louvre reopens after being blocked by strikers

The Louvre in Paris, the world’s most visited museum, reopened on Saturday after being shut down by workers striking over government plans to overhaul France’s pension system.

On Friday, hundreds of disappointed visitors had massed outside the Louvre, some hurling insults at strikers who had blocked the entrance.

It was the first time since the strike began on December 5 that the museum had shut completely although it was forced to close some galleries last month.

Union leaders are seeking to widen opposition to the pension reforms proposed by President Emmanuel Macron’s government, which have triggered the longest transport strike in France in decades.

The unions are looking for a second wind as the movement starts to flag, with the proportion of striking workers at national railway operator SNCF falling to less than five percent on on Friday