France engulfed in riots: 1,200 arrested, historic buildings set ablaze

Violent riots erupted in cities across France on Saturday during demonstrations against declining public services and rising living costs. While hundreds of thousands participated in peaceful street marches, violent fringe groups targeted supermarkets, luxury boutiques, police vehicles, and officers. Arutz Sheva - Israel National News reported that 1,200 people were arrested and 150 police officers were injured.

The Jerusalem Post noted that Interior Minister Laurent Nunez estimated 550,000 participants, while the CGT union estimated the number at 800.

Significant damage occurred to historic buildings, including the city hall in Limoges, which Hindustan Times - World News reported was largely lost to a fire started by masked protesters. Local prefect Maurice Barate described the damage to the 143-year-old landmark as a catastrophe for heritage, noting that the roof collapsed and two-thirds of the exterior disappeared. In Marseille, black-clad protesters entered the city hall and defaced it with graffiti, and in Lyon, protesters torched the city's tourist office.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu blamed the unrest on criminals and the ultra-left, stating on X/Twitter that the government would not be intimidated by those attempting to use violence as a warm-up for next year's presidential election. The Times of Israel reported that police used tear gas during the protests and that a teenage protester lost a hand after picking up a stun grenade.

Brief written by urgent.news from Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Jerusalem Post, The Korea Times, Hindustan Times - World News, The Times of Israel — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.