Eiffel Tower to Close Saturday Due to Yellow Vest Protests

Paris’s Eiffel Tower and a number of other monuments will be closed on Saturday due to the Yellow Vest protests.

The Eiffel Tower Operating Company (SETE) said in a statement, “The demonstrations announced Saturday, December 8, in Paris do not allow us to welcome visitors in safe conditions. SETE has made the decision to close the Eiffel Tower,” reports Europe 1.

Police have ordered several other prominent tourist attractions to be closed over a fear of violence, including the Grand Palais museum, and cultural sites such as the Arc de Triomphe as well as a number of metro stations, according to Le Figaro.

The National Opera advised, “Given the events announced in Paris on Saturday, the Opera Bastille and Palais Garnier will be closed and all public activities are cancelled.”

Inspired into action against increased carbon fuel taxes, the Gilets Jaunes, or Yellow Vests, are planning their fourth straight weekend of action — despite President Emmanuel Macron backing down and cancelling further tax increases slated for January 1st.

The movement has evolved into a general expression of discontent of the policies of the metropolitan elite, with the Yellow Vests protesting also against taxes, the cost of living, and the progressive president’s plan to sign the controversial UN Migration Compact next week.

Initially peaceful, protests have become increasingly violent and destructive due to elements from political fringes, anarchists, and criminal elements infiltrating protests.

Last weekend, rioters vandalised the Arc de Triomphe with graffiti that read “Macron resign” and “Yellow Vests will triumph,” while a sculpture of Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic which is housed in the gallery inside the monument, was also damaged.