French police arrested a man on Tuesday, 20 October, in a town near Limoges, on suspicion of taking part in the fire that gutted the city hall during protests on Saturday, 17 October. Reports say special forces of the RAID unit seized him at his parents' home in Val-d'Issoire, and prosecutors said he was detained near Limoges. Counterterrorism investigators have joined the probe, according to AFP, and the suspect is reported to live in the neighbouring department of Creuse. Reports differ on his age, with most giving 34 and some giving 40. He is described as a far-left activist who appears on France's Fiché S watchlist and who was previously prosecuted for hitting a police officer at a demonstration against a factory opening. Being listed on the file is not by itself proof of an offence, and the allegations against him remain unproven.
Protesters gathered in Limoges on Saturday, 17 October, against rising living costs and problems in schools, with about 5,000 people taking part. After the rally, masked people entered the building, which opened in 1883, and set it alight, with some reportedly entering through the cellars. Witnesses said the demonstrators had gone in with the aim of starting a fire, and the roof and clock tower collapsed as the flames spread. Local authorities described the old part of the interior as almost entirely destroyed, while the prefect said a large part of the building was lost. Reports also said the attackers threatened to kill people inside, and the building is 143 years old.
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Thousands of shops were looted during the weekend, and town halls and police stations were attacked in several cities, according to reports. The government blames most of the violence on far-left extremists. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin told CNews-Europe that more than 120 people had already been jailed after the demonstrations and riots. A Greek report cited hundreds of thousands of protesters who marched against fuel prices, the cost of living and the decline of public services, including schools. Mayor Benoît Payan of Marseille said the prefect had decided to impose a curfew for minors in the city's commercial districts, which were hit hard by looting, from the evening of 20 October and for the days that followed. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu did not rule out a state of emergency, while Darmanin argued that one was unnecessary because it would strip French citizens of their individual freedoms.
Limoges mayor Guillaume Guérin said on Sunday, 18 October, that police lacked the means to bring the situation under control and that security forces had pulled back in Limoges and other cities. Guérin called for the city hall to be rebuilt. Around 7,000 people gathered in Limoges on Sunday to protest the violence and show solidarity with the building. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the state could offer aid for the reconstruction and described the building as a symbol of a nation that refuses to be broken or intimidated. Lecornu is due to visit Limoges on Friday, 23 October.
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Police arrested a man near Limoges on Tuesday, 20 October, over the fire that gutted the 19th-century city hall during Saturday's protests. Looting and attacks on town halls and police stations spread across several French cities.
AI text based on reports by wpolityce.pl, Blick.ch, Deutsche Welle and other publishers. Published .