France Reels After Violent Nationwide Protests: 1,800 Arrested, Historic Limoges Town Hall Burned
Saturday's violent cost-of-living protests across France led to 1,800 arrests, the burning of Limoges's 19th-century town hall and the looting of hundreds of shops.
France spent Sunday assessing the damage from violent protests the previous day that led to 1,800 arrests, destroyed a 19th-century town hall in the city of Limoges and saw hundreds of shops looted. The demonstrations over the cost of living were called by the Yellow Vest movement, which held street protests eight years ago against President Emmanuel Macron's government over planned fuel-tax rises. Macron is in his final months in office, with elections to choose his successor due in six months, and the unrest follows weeks of student protests that also turned violent at times.
Damage and arrests
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said investigations were under way to identify those responsible. In Paris, 557 people are in custody after what officials called a record number of arrests. Paris deputy mayor Lamia El Aaraje said the capital saw a level of violence not seen before. Shops were also looted in Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg. The Retail and Trade Federation said about 1,500 businesses were damaged, with losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros.
Around 500 police officers, firefighters and paramedics were hurt. In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old boy lost his right hand to a crowd-control grenade. One person died during the main Paris march, but officials said the death was health-related and not connected to the violence. Limoges prefect Maurice Barate said the town hall fire was set deliberately by "a wild horde", while a tourist office in Lyon was also set ablaze.
Political reaction
The government and far-right leader Marine Le Pen blamed ultra-left groups, while far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the authorities of inflaming tensions. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was due to chair a ministerial crisis meeting on Monday to discuss insurance, aid for affected shops and prosecution of those behind the violence.
The interior ministry said 550,000 people took part in the protests nationwide, while the CGT union put the figure at 800,000. Analyst Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group think tank said most demonstrations were peaceful.
