Student protests in France have degenerated into widespread destruction and burning, as the 19th century town hall of Limoges was burned down, among other buildings.
In Paris and other cities shops and monuments are being looted and vandalized, and even elderly people being robbed
www.ynetnews.com
France was surveying scenes of devastation on Sunday after a day of nationwide protests against the soaring cost of living descended into widespread rioting, with masked groups looting hundreds of shops, setting public buildings ablaze and clashing with police. In the most dramatic incident, a historic city hall that had survived both world wars was largely destroyed by fire, its tower collapsing as flames engulfed the building.
By Sunday, the number of arrests had risen to 1,800, while more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had earlier described the violence as being of "extreme intensity" and warned that the financial damage would be substantial.
The full extent of the destruction remained unclear, but hundreds of stores were reported looted in Paris alone. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said that entire streets had been systematically devastated. The French newspaper Le Parisien described extensive destruction in several neighborhoods, reporting that rioters had spared virtually no businesses around the Les Halles district in central Paris.
Tobacco shops, opticians, beauty salons, pharmacies, clothing stores and other commercial establishments were damaged. Dozens of additional stores were vandalized near Porte Saint-Denis in the 10th arrondissement, where piles of garbage and burned bicycles were left scattered across sidewalks, with smoke still rising from the wreckage on Sunday morning. Sanitation workers sent to clear the debris told Le Parisien that the cleanup would take days.
In Paris, an elderly couple were reportedly robbed and left in the street wearing only their underwear. Elsewhere, rioters set fire to vehicles and public property, leaving streets littered with shattered glass, debris and the remains of burned barricades.
In Paris and other cities shops and monuments are being looted and vandalized, and even elderly people being robbed
Streets in ruins, France in shock: ‘It was an uprising,’ ‘The republic is dying,’ ‘I'm in tears’
Masked rioters torched Limoges City Hall and looted stores after largely peaceful nationwide marches; France reports 1,800 arrests and more than 500 injured police, gendarmes and firefighters as the violence sparks a fierce political blame game
www.ynetnews.com
France was surveying scenes of devastation on Sunday after a day of nationwide protests against the soaring cost of living descended into widespread rioting, with masked groups looting hundreds of shops, setting public buildings ablaze and clashing with police. In the most dramatic incident, a historic city hall that had survived both world wars was largely destroyed by fire, its tower collapsing as flames engulfed the building.
By Sunday, the number of arrests had risen to 1,800, while more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had earlier described the violence as being of "extreme intensity" and warned that the financial damage would be substantial.
The full extent of the destruction remained unclear, but hundreds of stores were reported looted in Paris alone. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said that entire streets had been systematically devastated. The French newspaper Le Parisien described extensive destruction in several neighborhoods, reporting that rioters had spared virtually no businesses around the Les Halles district in central Paris.
Tobacco shops, opticians, beauty salons, pharmacies, clothing stores and other commercial establishments were damaged. Dozens of additional stores were vandalized near Porte Saint-Denis in the 10th arrondissement, where piles of garbage and burned bicycles were left scattered across sidewalks, with smoke still rising from the wreckage on Sunday morning. Sanitation workers sent to clear the debris told Le Parisien that the cleanup would take days.
In Paris, an elderly couple were reportedly robbed and left in the street wearing only their underwear. Elsewhere, rioters set fire to vehicles and public property, leaving streets littered with shattered glass, debris and the remains of burned barricades.
