LIVE - 1,200 arrests, 150 police officers and gendarmes injured, Limoges town hall ravaged: France the day after a day of chaos

Convictions increased on Saturday evening after scenes of violence and looting which shook several French cities. But behind the indignation, political leaders disagree on the causes of the excesses and their responsibilities.

For Marine Le Pen, social demands have been “taken hostage by the far left” and by the speeches of rebellious deputies. Jordan Bardella denounces “chaos professionals”, Bruno Retailleau (LR) “anti-cop violence”. Édouard Philippe calls for “the greatest firmness”.

If Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for calm in the evening - "Those who share our fight have nothing to do with the pillaging, the ransacking" - the "aberrant command" of the prefecture holds him largely responsible for the chaos. Olivier Faure and Marine Tondelier also call into question the doctrine of maintaining order. Raphaël Glucksmann regrets that the demands of peaceful demonstrators are “deafened by the noise of the thugs”.

It’s one of the most striking images of the day. Limoges town hall, inaugurated in 1883, was ravaged on Saturday evening by a likely arson fire, after the intrusion of a group of individuals on the sidelines of the demonstration, according to the prefecture. The fire apparently broke out inside before reaching the roof. “It is largely lost,” declared the prefect of Haute-Vienne. Hundreds of distraught residents watched the blaze. The images were taken up as far as the United States, where Vice President JD Vance blamed immigration for the violence.

According to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met yesterday evening with CRS mobilized in Paris, the provisional toll for this day of October 17 is 1,200 arrests and 150 police officers and gendarmes injured during the violence that occurred on the sidelines of the demonstrations. “It is time to choose your side, either that of the Republic or that of the thugs,” said the Prime Minister, who believes that a “point of no return” has been reached.

A little earlier, during a press briefing, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez indicated that two police officers had been transported unconscious to hospital, one of them having been hit by a paving stone.

In Saint-Étienne, a 17-year-old minor was “seriously injured in the hand”, according to the Loire prefecture. The prosecution opened an investigation, entrusted to the IGPN.

The Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, asked the prosecutors for an “extremely firm” judicial response. He wants pre-trial detention to be required against perpetrators of violence targeting law enforcement, firefighters, public buildings and businesses.

France wakes up this Sunday after a day of mobilization on October 17 against the high cost of living marked by scenes of urban guerrilla warfare and looting in many cities. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 550,000 people marched on Saturday, including 110,000 in Paris. The organizers claim 800,000 demonstrators on their side.

Shops looted in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes and Nice, town halls targeted in Marseille and Lille, Limoges town hall ravaged by flames: the day leaves a heavy toll.

On Saturday evening, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu reported 1,200 arrests and 150 injured police officers and gendarmes. Follow with us in this live the evolution of the results, the political reactions and the legal consequences.