The mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot, has reopened four municipal museums in the southern French city, in defiance of national Covid-19 restrictions. The mayor, who is the deputy leader of the far-right National Rally party, issued a decree to reopen the museums on Monday 9 February; the local police prefecture promptly filed a motion to block the order. A summary hearing will be held in the administrative court of Montpellier on 15 February.