Nationwide strikes in France led to the closure of the Eiffel Tower on Oct. 2. Around 85,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest government spending cuts.

As one of the most iconic and visited attractions in Paris, the Eiffel Tower announced on its website that the closure is due to the strikes, and visitors who purchased e-tickets have been notified of the next steps via email. No reopening date has been posted as of the evening of Oct. 2.

The strikes come as President Emmanuel Macron and his new prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, negotiate the country's budget, with union leaders advocating for more spending on public services, a reversal of an increase to the retirement age, and higher taxes on the wealthy.

Macron's last prime minister, Francois Bayrou, was ousted by parliament over a planned 44-billion-euro budget squeeze. Lecornu has promised a break from those plans.

Protests were slated to take place across 240 cities and towns in France, with 76,000 police officers deployed. The Paris metro was mostly running as normal, but some regional trains were experiencing disruptions, French media outlet Le Monde reported.

Last month also saw protests and strikes – from teachers, train drivers and others – regarding the proposed 2026 budgets. On Sept. 18, the U.S. Embassy in France posted an alert for Americans going to the European country about protests with "a very large turnout" of up to 900,000 people.

It also warned of public transport, including flights and trains, being disrupted and "the possibility of violent clashes." Travelers were urged to avoid demonstration areas.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eiffel Tower closed over massive strikes in France

Reporting by Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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