E-Paper
Buildings set on fire, shops looted, over 1,000 arrested as protests against rising living costs in France turn violent
Demonstrators expressed growing anger and frustration with the government as petrol, energy and food prices rose sharply in recent months.
Prefer HTon Google
A 143-year-old landmark in the French city of Limoges was "largely lost" to a fire started by masked protesters on Saturday as protests in France over rising living costs and declining public services turned violent in parts of the country, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests.
Belgium, Portugal and Italy also witnessed smaller protests on Saturday as living costs continued to rise across Europe. In Albania, demonstrators took to the streets over alleged government corruption, job shortages, and poor educational standards.
Historic town hall 'largely lost' to blaze
The town hall in Limoges was "largely lost" to the fire, the region's top official told news agency AFP, calling the damage to the historic building a "catastrophe for heritage" and condemning it as a "deliberate act by hooligans".
"The roof has collapsed onto lower floors, except the west wing, and two-thirds of the exterior has already disappeared," local prefect Maurice Barate said.
Witnesses said a group of masked protesters first set a police car on fire outside the town hall before smashing windows and entering the building to start a blaze. Firefighters were deployed late on Saturday to bring the fire under control.
As hundreds of people watched the building burn, a municipal employee was seen crying while a local councillor comforted them.
JD Vance blames immigration for riots
US vice president JD Vance blamed immigration for the violence during the protests in France, sharing a video of the Limoges town hall engulfed in flames.
"Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility. They were told it would lead to this and they didn't listen," Vance wrote on X.
"I pray that France, a beautiful country of amazing people, will stop this madness before more of its landmarks burn," he added.
Vance also linked the unrest to the upcoming US congressional midterm elections on November 3. "And I hope Americans are paying attention. This is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country," he said.
France protests turn violent
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in peaceful marches across dozens of French cities. However, violent groups targeted public buildings, looted luxury shops and supermarkets, and attacked police vehicles and officers.
In Marseille, demonstrators dressed in black broke into the town hall and defaced it with graffiti. Protesters also set fire to the tourist office in Lyon.
Interior minister Laurent Nunez said around 550,000 people had taken part in demonstrations across France. The CGT union estimated the turnout at 800,000, news agency Reuters reported.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said around 1,200 people had been arrested during the protests.
Demonstrators maintained that most participants had marched peacefully, blaming the violence on troublemakers who intended to cause damage and clash with police. Many protesters carried placards criticising the police, the president and wealthy people.
In parts of Paris, police fired tear gas as they retreated from groups of mostly young protesters. Many demonstrators wore black clothing, hoodies, masks and goggles to protect themselves from tear gas.
Looting in several cities
During and after the demonstrations, groups of young people moved through city streets, occasionally clashing with police, setting fires and breaking into shuttered shops to steal goods.
Dozens of shops were looted across Paris, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse and Strasbourg. The targeted businesses included supermarkets, pharmacies, luxury boutiques, clothing stores, opticians, cosmetic shops and consumer electronics retailers.
AFP reported that groups of around six young men often targeted shops in an organised manner. Wearing masks and gloves, they first disconnected security cameras before smashing windows to enter the premises.
The looting added to the destruction and vandalism reported during the day, with town halls in several cities also coming under attack.
Protests rock France
President Emmanuel Macron's government faces a struggle to address the cost-of-living crisis while bringing France's debt under control. Opposition groups that have toppled two prime ministers over budget plans in the past two years have been reluctant to compromise.
Protesters across France responded to calls on social media to revive the "yellow vest" movement, which began in 2018 over concerns about social injustice.
Demonstrators expressed growing anger and frustration with the government as petrol, energy and food prices rose sharply in recent months.
Lecornu said the government would not be "intimidated" by violence. He blamed the unrest on the "ultra-left" and criminals, with a presidential election due next year.
"To those who clearly want to use this violence as a 'warm-up' before the presidential election, I say clearly: We will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence," he wrote on X.
Macron vowed to prosecute and punish those responsible for the attacks. "We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who only seek to undermine our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so," he posted on X.
Student groups that have been organising school blockades since mid-September urged their supporters to join the protests.
The CGT, one of France's major labour unions, also backed the demonstrations, calling for "higher wages and pensions, lower prices and the protection of public services that meet people's needs". The union said more than 500,000 people had joined Saturday's rallies.
With inputs from agencies
