More than 1,200 arrested as protests sweep France and the Limoges town hall burns

18 October 2026

Demonstrations spread across France on Saturday in support of school students and against high prices and the weakening of the social welfare system. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said 1,200 people were arrested and 150 police officers were injured. The interior ministry put the turnout at about 550,000. In Limoges the town hall was largely lost to a fire set by masked protesters; the local prefect Maurice Barate said the roof had collapsed on to lower floors of the 143-year-old building. Protesters stormed the town hall in Marseille, and in Lyon the city tourist office was burned. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the state was not planning to declare a state of emergency. The marches followed weeks of protests by lycee students over staff shortages and dilapidated facilities, joined by trade unions and the gilets jaunes movement that first emerged in 2018.