Limoges city hall burns as French protests draw over 500,000 people

Marches across France

The CGT union put the turnout at more than 500,000 people across France's main cities on 17 October, protesting poor conditions in public education, the high cost of living and police violence in recent weeks. The movement grew out of protests by secondary school students who say their schools lack funding, teachers and adequate facilities. About 20,000 people marched in Lyon, a similar number in Nantes and around 10,000 in Rennes.

Yellow vest activists, high school and university students and trade unions were among those marching against rising fuel prices and cuts to public services. The union's slogan for the day tied wages, the cost of living and public services together, and the protests were framed by the government as a bid by the far left to disrupt the country.

Clashes in Paris

Clashes between police and protesters broke out at Place de la République from the morning of 17 October. Police deployed a water cannon, and the march, scheduled for 14:00, set off late. The procession then moved calmly to Place de Clichy, where it ended. The interior ministry said the great majority of demonstrators were protesting without incident, while several hundred people from the far left sought confrontation with police and rescue workers, mostly at Place de la République. Firefighters put out several vehicle fires in the capital, including a car burned at Place de la République.

Arrests and charges

The interior ministry reported 272 people detained across France. Mid-afternoon, 163 people had been detained in Paris, and a later update gave 195 in the capital, including 13 minors. Ministry statements linked the arrests to violence by hooded people in Paris, Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers. Prosecutors, cited by BFMTV, said most detentions were for taking part in a group intent on violence or damage, carrying weapons such as knives, possessing explosive products and concealing faces. Authorities also acknowledged that the large majority of protesters were demonstrating peacefully.

Attacks on town halls

The Limoges city hall, a building inaugurated in 1883 and modelled on the Paris town hall, was destroyed by fire on 17 October, and its bell tower collapsed. The flames spread through one of the two wings to the roof, where the beams gave way, and firefighters worked to stop the blaze consuming the whole building. Interior Minister Laurent Núñez confirmed that the fire was set during the riots, and reports say a group of individuals was responsible. In Marseille, TF1 footage showed a brief assault on the city hall during the protests. Emmanuel Macron wrote on X that those who destroyed property, attacked prefectures and businesses and looted town halls would be prosecuted and punished, and he expressed the nation's support for the police. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused extreme-left groups of organising violence in several cities, and said the government would not be intimidated.

Spread to Belgium

Student collectives mobilised in Brussels and Liège on the same day, protesting the government's austerity policies and the conditions of teaching and schools, following the French protests. In Brussels, police made charges and used tear gas near the Gare du Midi and at Place de la Bourse, with a few hundred young people taking part. Local media reported tensions with police in Liège, where water cannon trucks were used to disperse protesters. The Belgian marches were smaller than the French mobilisation, and the reports describe them as a response to the same grievances.