Protests rallied were taking place in Paris that day, and the authorities were taking no chances. The military closed off all access to the monument, leaving tourists to take photos of the building from a distance. The military perimeter even expanded during the course of the afternoon.
That's too bad, because this is one of the major attractions in Paris. It salutes those who died in the French Revolution and under Napoleon. Battles and generals are listed, and an unknown soldier from World War I is buried underneath it.
When the French marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in 2018, this is where the ceremony took place. But some of most famous photos and videos of the structure came later in the 20th century. Hitler paraded German forces near it when he occupied France in 1940, and Allies forces did the same during the 1944 liberation.
You can buy a ticket to go to the top and take a look around. Meanwhile, you can get closer to the monument than we did by watching this video:
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