“You can't find the cellar of the town hall to set it on fire unexpectedly when you arrive in a hurry in a procession of demonstrators,” immediately emphasizes Guillaume Guérin, LR mayor of Limoges in Points de Vue (le Figaro TV). Less than two days after the fire of his town hall by rioters, the elected official does not lose his temper. Spectacular images of the disaster are playing endlessly on television channels and on social networks.
Guillaume Guérin is certain: the burning of the town hall on October 17 was not the result of chance. “The desire to set fires was premeditated. We have the assurance that there have been detections,” assures the councilor. It remains to be seen who are to blame for this disaster. They are “brainless people, some from the city center, often very young, and rioters with an immigrant background. By breaking, they have the feeling of discovering strong sensations,” explains Guillaume Guérin. Other rioters are even less “excusable”, according to him.
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“Over-equipped ultra-left thugs”
Some individuals are “educated and belong to the ultra-left. These over-equipped, over-trained ultra-left thugs who want to kill cops, destroy the Republic and erase anything that even remotely resembles state authority.” The proof would be to be found in the graffiti and slogans plastered on the walls of the city's buildings. "When we tag: "Long live the Commune!", it is not "Long live the commune of Limoges", but rather "Long live the Commune of Paris!", notes Guillaume Guérin. "I will not be made to believe that these are kids from neighborhoods where many can barely read and write French. There are not many people who know [Jean-Baptiste] Clément and [Eugène] Pottier."
If the State does not finance the reconstruction of town hall, Guillaume Guérin threatens to resign. “It’s a symbol. And unfortunately, sometimes we only respect that,” laments the mayor. But “if a mayor of a city of 100,000 inhabitants like Limoges or the president of a metropolis of 200,000 inhabitants has to resign, then I am ready to be the first”. “The government must understand that there is a real problem in the country!” persists Guillaume Guérin.
The elected official assures that he has already had his decision voted on. 40 members of his municipal council would follow him. Will he show up immediately? “I have no problem facing universal suffrage,” he replies. In March 2026, he faced a rebel and a socialist in the second round. Winner with 51% of the vote, he considers his re-election more than favorable: “I think there wouldn’t even be a match.”
