Paris wants to fight terror with culture. Will it work?

The news about the machete man in the Louvre broke just as my Eurostar was approaching Paris. Was this just a one-off, or were there more terrorist attacks to come? In the Gare du Nord that lunchtime, the atmosphere was humdrum. Armed policemen passed by like ghosts, unseen and unnoticed. For Parisians, these incidents have become a normal part of daily life.

I figured the Louvre would still be cordoned off, so I headed for the Musée d’Orsay. If the Louvre attack was part of a co-ordinated assault on the cultural institutions of the French capital, the Musée d’Orsay would be another prime target. Would the museum be closed, as a precaution? Would the visitors stay away? Neither. People were queueing to get in, tourists and locals. The mood in the queue was laid back. I admired their sang-froid. Inside, the place was packed – business as usual. Paris kept calm and carried on.