Louvre staffers protest over museum's pickpocket problem

Louvre staffers staged a daylong demonstration on Wednesday, forcing the closure of the landmark Parisian art museum in a protest over "increasingly aggressive" pickpocketing at the venue.

In an unusual situation that brings to mind Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, the world's best-attended museum has seen a dramatic increase in tough, sophisticated bands of thieves — including many children — entering the gallery and stealing from tourists and staffers, according to the union behind the one-day strike.

Typically, a thief approaches a target with an innocuous question — for instance, asking if the Louvre visitor or staffer speaks English — before a gang of conspirators surround the victim and pick his or her pockets of valuables. Some reported being insulted, spat at and even hit by pickpockets.

Staff have been coming to work afraid, union spokeswoman Christelle Guyader told Agence France-Presse.

"They find themselves confronted with organized groups of pickpockets who are increasingly aggressive and who include children," she said.

Many of the young thieves are able to sneak into the Louvre for free and they flagrantly return even after being detained or tossed out by police, Guyader added.

The striking workers, who numbered about 200, are appealing for support from French authorities. About half of the group gathered in front of France's Ministry of Culture at midday on Wednesday to make their case and demand action.

"There are thefts and threats every day. The guards are fed up with being assaulted by pickpockets," David Maillard, secretary general of France's national union for museums, told Reuters.

According to museum management, the issue petty thievery has been a persistent, growing problem at the Louvre over the past few months — so much so that, in late 2012, they appealed for more police support. Parisian police officers regularly patrol the city's famed tourist sites, including the Louvre.

The museum reopened as usual on Thursday, with Louvre officials saying that around 20 police officers are being drafted to patrol the museum in response to the concerns raised.

Last month, the Louvre — home to priceless art and artifacts such as the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace —  was named 2012's most-attended museum in the world in The Art Newspaper's annual survey. The Paris gallery attracted 9.7 million visitors last year.