Leftist rioters allegedly set fire to Limoges’ historic city hall in central France Saturday while elected officials, municipal police and employees were inside, according to the mayor and the region’s prefect.
🚨 BREAKING: France’s historic Limoges town hall (143 years old) COLLAPSES after leftist-Islamist aligned rioters set it on fire, and POLICE DO NOTHING
WHERE IS MACRON?
FRANCE IS FALLING. This is symbolic.
It opened in 1883, and it’s stood for 143 years.
France is burning its own history down because of FECKLESS leaders unwilling to preserve the West 🇺🇸🇫🇷
Wake up or this is America next.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 17, 2026
Limoges Mayor Guillaume Guérin (Les Républicains) blamed anarchists and the far left. Haute-Vienne Prefect Maurice Barate said no one inside was injured, AFP reported.
Attackers broke windows, entered city hall and ignited the building, Barate told AFP. Municipal police escaped as intruders threatened to kill them, Guérin said.
The roof collapsed onto the floors below except in the west wing, Barate said. The bell tower also fell as flames consumed the landmark.
The building opened in 1883, according to the city’s heritage program, making it 143 years old.
Mayor blames far-left violence
National police lacked enough crowd-control resources to contain the attackers, Guérin said. Rioters burned or badly damaged four national police cars and two municipal police vehicles, AFP reported.
“These are people who want to destroy the Republic,” Guérin said in French in remarks broadcast by franceinfo. He described the attack as premeditated.
A criminal investigation is underway, prosecutor Émilie Abrantes announced, local radio station Alouette reported. The national police’s organized and specialized crime division in Haute-Vienne is handling the case.
City hall targeted earlier
City hall had already come under attack October 1. Its main entrance was damaged, according to an October 2 city statement. Guérin announced plans to file a complaint and credited municipal employees with protecting people inside until police arrived.
The mayor said the right to demonstrate could not justify damage to public or private property.
The attack followed weeks of school-related unrest. The Dallas Express previously reported on schools burned or ransacked and official warnings about far-left and anarchist groups exploiting the movement.
The French Justice Ministry’s October 5 tally listed 5,060 people placed in police custody, including 4,406 minors, since the violence began.
Provided by Dallas Express
