Town halls set alight in France during riots
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Zambianobserver
Public buildings were set on fire and vandalised in several French cities, including Limoges, Marseille and Lyon, during riots. US President Donald Trump blamed immigration for the unrest and urged France to tighten its border controls, according to CNN.
Municipal buildings were set alight or vandalised in several French cities during riots that followed demonstrations, CNN reports. In Limoges, the 143-year-old town hall was ravaged by fire on Saturday and its spire collapsed. In Marseille, masked individuals entered the city hall and damaged the premises; in Lyon, the tourist office was also set on fire.
The protest movement, launched the previous month by secondary school pupils in the northern suburbs of Paris, broadened to include demands over inequality, the rising cost of living and the deterioration of public services. Most protesters remained peaceful, but groups clashed with police, looted shops and attacked public buildings.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the destruction and accused the far left and criminals of fuelling the violence. He said the government would not be intimidated by those seeking to exploit the unrest for political ends ahead of the presidential election the following year.
The violence is part of the French riots in which Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged intelligence failures, according to an article published on 20 October.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
