Limoges: Historic city hall largely destroyed in arson attack
Masked people set fire to the 143-year-old, partly listed city hall after the protests. The prefect speaks of a “catastrophe for cultural heritage.”
Archive image · Photo: User:Aratar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
On the sidelines of nationwide protests in France, the historic city hall of Limoges went up in flames on Saturday evening. According to eyewitness accounts cited by AFP, masked people first set fire to a police car in front of the building, smashed windows and then broke in to start a fire. The flames spread to one wing and the roof. Firefighters tried to prevent the entire building from being destroyed. Hundreds of people watched the fire, and several stores in the city center were also looted.
Regional prefect Maurice Barate said the roof, except for the west wing, had collapsed into the lower floors and around two-thirds of the exterior facade was already gone. According to AFP, he spoke of a “catastrophe for cultural heritage” and a “deliberate act by rioters.” The city hall opened in 1883, and parts of it have been listed as a historic monument since 1975. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed; there was initially no information on injuries.
Limoges was one of several cities where the day of protest against the high cost of living turned violent. President Emmanuel Macron said those who attacked city halls, prefectures and stores would be prosecuted and punished. Protesters also stormed city halls in Marseille and Lille.