An intentionally set fire at Limoges city hall during France’s Oct. 17 unrest has halted in-person service, as authorities assess damage to thousands of shops and prepare employment support.
The city said the fire devastated the building. It told residents it could no longer provide in-person service there and warned that some telephone service would be limited while it arranged alternatives. Commerce Minister Serge Papin said Oct. 19 that at least 3,000 shops had been damaged or looted, a provisional estimate.
The damage has disrupted retailers, their workers and residents who use city services. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced short-time work support for affected shops to help protect jobs. His government was also developing an aid fund and seeking faster insurance processing; the fund’s terms remained under discussion Oct. 19.
Lecornu instructed prefects to impose localized curfews on Oct. 19. Paris City Hall said the police prefect had announced curfews in parts of the capital.
The Interior Ministry estimated that 550,000 people joined the Oct. 17 demonstrations nationwide; the CGT labor union put turnout at 800,000. President Emmanuel Macron said demonstrators raised concerns about fuel prices and living costs. Separately, he addressed young people’s worries about their studies and future, and distinguished demonstrators from people who damaged property.
Paris prosecutors recorded 855 arrests connected with the demonstrations in a provisional Oct. 18 update, with 557 people placed in police custody. Those figures cover Paris only. Lecornu said investigators would use video recordings to pursue suspected looters.
Macron accused far-left groups joined by criminals of driving the violence and requested a review of intelligence gathering and security preparations. The CGT accused the government of injuring peaceful demonstrators through its policing and called for negotiations over wages, education and public services.
France also experienced nationwide unrest in 2023 after an adolescent was killed following a police traffic stop. A government account said violence then affected more than 500 communes. The two episodes had different immediate triggers.
Macron said Lecornu would arrange talks with students, educators, unions, employers and local officials in the following days. The CGT has called for further strikes and demonstrations on Nov. 5.
