The historic Limoges town hall has been "largely lost" to a blaze that was set by masked agitators during riots in France. The roof has collapsed on the 143-year-old building, with much of the building being consumed by the flames.
"The roof has collapsed onto lower floors, except the west wing, and two-thirds of the exterior has already disappeared," a local prefect, Maurice Barate, said. He added that the damage to the building has been extensive and that it has been a "catastrophe for heritage." He slammed the arson as a "deliberate act by hooligans."
Arson, riots, and violence have enveloped France for days as left-wing rioters have been taking to the streets, with the majority of the groups being connected to the so-called "student protests" being identified as communist, socialist, or promoting Islam.
Firefighters were seen on Saturday trying to fight the blaze as it consumed the building.
Conservative activist Tommy Robinson posted a video of the building collapsing and wrote in a post on X, "Devastating scenes as Limoges town hall collapses. France is falling."
According to the New York Times, citing Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, by nightfall, there were approximately 400 arrests that took place across the country. Corporate media and others have placed the blame for the protests on students' dissatisfaction with conditions at schools; however, an emergency meeting with government officials held earlier in October with intelligence agencies indicated that far-left factions have actually been the people driving the unrest, per Reuters.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the violence in a post on X, saying, "Peaceful demonstrations have their rightful place in our Republic. Arson, looting, and attacks have no place whatsoever. Today, ultraleft groups have orchestrated violence in several French cities; delinquents have joined in to pillage and destroy. At a time when some are seeking to cast blame on our law enforcement forces, I want to tell the French people that they can be proud of their police officers and gendarmes. They have faced violence of extreme intensity to protect our fellow citizens, and they deserve all our support."
"The roof has collapsed onto lower floors, except the west wing, and two-thirds of the exterior has already disappeared," a local prefect, Maurice Barate, said. He added that the damage to the building has been extensive and that it has been a "catastrophe for heritage." He slammed the arson as a "deliberate act by hooligans."
Arson, riots, and violence have enveloped France for days as left-wing rioters have been taking to the streets, with the majority of the groups being connected to the so-called "student protests" being identified as communist, socialist, or promoting Islam.
Firefighters were seen on Saturday trying to fight the blaze as it consumed the building.
Conservative activist Tommy Robinson posted a video of the building collapsing and wrote in a post on X, "Devastating scenes as Limoges town hall collapses. France is falling."
According to the New York Times, citing Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, by nightfall, there were approximately 400 arrests that took place across the country. Corporate media and others have placed the blame for the protests on students' dissatisfaction with conditions at schools; however, an emergency meeting with government officials held earlier in October with intelligence agencies indicated that far-left factions have actually been the people driving the unrest, per Reuters.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the violence in a post on X, saying, "Peaceful demonstrations have their rightful place in our Republic. Arson, looting, and attacks have no place whatsoever. Today, ultraleft groups have orchestrated violence in several French cities; delinquents have joined in to pillage and destroy. At a time when some are seeking to cast blame on our law enforcement forces, I want to tell the French people that they can be proud of their police officers and gendarmes. They have faced violence of extreme intensity to protect our fellow citizens, and they deserve all our support."
