Unrest in France: Arrest after fire at Limoges town hall

After the fire in the town hall of the central French city of Limoges during the riots at the weekend, the police have now caught a man suspected of being involved in the arson.

Special forces arrested the suspect in a town in the surrounding area, the newspaper Le Parisien and the broadcaster CNews reported, citing the police.

Accordingly, it is a left-wing extremist who is known to the police and has been recorded by the authorities as security-related. According to information from broadcaster RTL, the suspect is already known to investigators for violence against public officials. According to the AFP news agency, an anti-terrorism unit took over the investigation. He lives in the neighboring department of Creuse.

Severe damage after arson

Serious riots and violence broke out on the sidelines of nationwide demonstrations against high costs of living and deficiencies in the education system.

Thousands of shops were looted, town halls and police stations were attacked and several buildings were set on fire. The government attributes the violence primarily to left-wing extremists.

In the city of Limoges, which has a population of 130,000, the magnificent town hall, which is a listed building, was set on fire. According to eyewitnesses, masked demonstrators broke into the town hall to set fire. The 143-year-old building burst into flames and the bell tower collapsed.

Demand for reconstruction

The striking building is “largely lost,” said the responsible prefect, Maurice Barate. The mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guérin, criticized on Sunday that the police "lacked the resources" to bring the situation under control and that the emergency services had withdrawn in the face of the rioters "in Limoges as well as in other cities".

Guérin called for the town hall to be rebuilt. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised state aid and described the town hall as a "symbol of a nation that will neither be defeated nor intimidated." On Friday Lecornu will visit Limoges.