France arrests man, calls in anti-terror police over town hall protest fire
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Anti-terror police have also been called in to investigate the suspected arson on the town hall in the central city of Limoges.
PHOTO: AFP
- French police arrested a man linked to ultra-left groups after the historic Limoges town hall burned during riots linked to nationwide protests over living costs and schools.
- Anti-terror police and SDAT are investigating the suspected arson. Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said prosecutors will decide if it was “a terrorist act”.
- The fire destroyed the 1883 building’s roof and belfry. Mayor Guillaume Guerin said police “lacked the necessary resources” and the state had failed; PM Sebastien Lecornu will visit on Oct 23.
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PARIS – French security forces on Oct 20 arrested a man believed to be linked ultra-left movements over the burning down of a historic town hall in central France during rioting at the weekend on the sidelines of nationwide protests.
Anti-terror police have also been called in to investigate the suspected arson at the town hall in the central city of Limoges, a building dating back to 1883 whose roof and belfry collapsed when it was engulfed by fire on Oct 17.
The destruction of the building has become a symbol of the violent rioting that erupted on the margins of a day of protests on Oct 17.
The demonstrations were called in a show of anger against grievances including the rising cost of living and conditions in schools.
The scenes of the building collapsing as it was hit by fire also brought back memories in France of the April 2019 fire that ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris which investigators believe started by accident but horrified the country.
The man was arrested by officers from the specialised RAID police unit in the nearby town of Val d’Issoire, the office of the Limoges prosecutor said.
He was 34 years old, a source with knowledge of the case said.
He had previously been flagged as someone requiring surveillance as a potential threat and is linked to ultra-left movements, a source close to the case said.
Meanwhile, France’s Counter-Terrorism Sub-Directorate (SDAT), a branch of the judicial police, has been called in to investigate the case further, another source close to the case added, asking not to be named.
The building’s facade is still standing, though at risk of collapse. The interior and roof have been destroyed.
‘Betray France’
French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told commercial broadcaster TF1 late on Oct 19 that anti-terror prosecutors would soon decide whether to investigate the incident as a suspected terror attack against the town hall organised by the ultra-left.
The right-wing mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guerin, has lambasted the response by police, who he said “lacked the necessary resources” and “backed down” in the face of rioters.
He called on the government to “inject millions” to rebuild the town hall, adding that “the state has failed.”
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to visit Limoges on Oct 23, his office said.
Around 5,000 people, including 700 individuals described by the authorities as “radicalised and extremely violent,” took part in the demonstration in Limoges on Oct 17.
Some 7,000 people then took part in a protest to denounce the violence on the evening of Oct 18.
Darmanin, visiting the northern city of Lille, whose own town hall was briefly broken into and ransacked by rioters on Oct 17, said those behind the violence “betray France and the image of France”.
He vowed an “extremely firm” judicial response, warning that otherwise people “would take justice into their own hands” to stop being attacked.
He said that after fast-track hearings over the violence, “people with no previous criminal record are being sent to prison”, something very unusual in France where short sentences are often served outside of jail.
In Limoges, 10 people were arrested “for looting a shop, all of whom were immediately imprisoned,” he said. AFP