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France protests: historic Limoges town hall set on fire

Protesters in France set fire to the historic town hall in Limoges
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During protests against high prices and social inequality in France, the historic town hall in the city of Limoges was set on fire. The fire broke out around 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 17; according to the prefect, two thirds of the building have already been destroyed.

According to French media, a group of masked arsonists first set fire to a police car in front of the town hall, and witnesses then saw them smash the windows and start a fire inside the building. The flames gradually reached the roof. “The roof collapsed onto the lower floors, except for the west wing. Two thirds of the building are already gone,” said local prefect Maurice Barate.

The announced protests turned into violence and vandalism in other cities as well, notably Marseille, Bordeaux and Lille, where a crowd looted the premises of several institutions. In Saint-Étienne, a police grenade tore off a protester’s hand.

According to media reports on Saturday afternoon, about four hundred people have been detained across the country. The organizers estimated the number of participants at around 800,000, while the authorities put it at half a million.

Read next
Why Are People Protesting Across France? What to Know About Saturday's Rallies
Arrests, Fires and Tent Camps: The Numbers Behind Europe's Autumn of Protests
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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz

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