Due to the riots in France, deliveries may be delayed.
[Global Times Report, Reporter Li Ziyu]
According to reports from Agence France-Presse (AFP), Fox News, and other media outlets, nationwide demonstrations erupted in France on the 17th (local time), leading to severe violent unrest. That day, the town hall in Limoges, France, was set on fire by masked protesters, leaving the main structure of the 143-year-old building "largely destroyed."
On the 17th (local time), the Limoges town hall was set ablaze by protesters. (Photo: Foreign media)
Citing eyewitnesses, AFP reported that a group of masked protesters set fire to a police vehicle outside the town hall before smashing windows, entering the building, and starting a fire inside. Firefighters arrived on the scene on the evening of the 17th to attempt to bring the blaze under control. Additionally, several shops in the city center of Limoges were looted.
According to various foreign media reports, the Limoges town hall was built in 1883 and designated as a historical landmark in 1975. Local official Maurice Barat stated that, "with the exception of the west wing, the roof has collapsed into the lower floors, and two-thirds of the exterior walls are gone." Describing the extensive damage as a "disaster for cultural heritage," Barat condemned the actions as a "deliberate act by thugs."
Fox News reported that French President Emmanuel Macron posted on the social media platform X that France would not tolerate violence. "Those who destroy and attack government institutions and shops—and who have even ransacked our town hall—will be prosecuted and punished," Macron wrote.
Emmanuel Macron (File photo; Source: Foreign media)
On October 17, hundreds of thousands of people across France took to the streets to protest rising prices and the deterioration of public services. Intense clashes between police and protesters broke out in cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Nantes, and Lille. Amidst the violence—which involved masked individuals—approximately 1,200 people were arrested, and more than 150 police officers were injured. According to local media, this is one of the most severe outbreaks of violent unrest in France in recent years. Protests took place at prominent landmarks in central Paris, including the Champs-Élysées, the Place de la Concorde, and the Place de la République. Numerous shops and restaurants were smashed, while cars and trash bins were set on fire. In Lyon, protesters burned down a tourist office, and in Marseille, several shops were looted.
The French Ministry of the Interior stated that approximately 550,000 people participated in the protests nationwide, while the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) estimated the figure at 800,000. Protesters maintained that the vast majority of participants were demonstrating peacefully, attributing most of the violence to "troublemakers" intent on causing destruction and clashing with the police. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu declared that the government would not be intimidated by violence. The Ministry of the Interior stated that it would do everything possible to track down those responsible for the acts of violence.
