Philippe Bélaval, head of the National Monuments Committee (CNM), announced on Twitter that one of Paris's main landmarks, the Arc de Triomphe, will be temporarily closed to tourists due to damage sustained during the unrest.
"The Arc de Triomphe will remain closed to the public tomorrow. The Central Museum of the History of the Russian Empire will begin work to reopen this monument to the nation as soon as possible," he wrote on social media. Belaval attached a photo to his post showing all the damage caused by vandals, who painted the face of one of the busts red, TASS reports.
In addition to vandalizing the bust, several statues inside the historical monument were also smashed, and the museum inside the arch was vandalized: a multimedia screen was smashed, and a model of the monument's construction history was destroyed. The exterior was covered in graffiti.
According to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, the area around and inside the Arc de Triomphe has already been cleared. He also noted that vandals had also desecrated the Panthéon, where prominent French figures since the late 18th century are buried, and the Hôtel de Ville, which houses the capital's city hall.
Source: trn-news.ru