PARIS: France was reeling on Sunday after nationwide protests over the cost of living, school conditions and public services descended into violence, with more than 2,000 people arrested, hundreds of emergency personnel injured and shops and public buildings damaged across the country, officials said.
A historic town hall in the southwestern city of Limoges was set ablaze, a tourist office in Lyon was gutted by fire, and businesses were looted in several cities during Saturday’s unrest.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Sunday that more than 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured. The figure was provisional, he said, as authorities assessed the damage and investigated the violence.
Manifester est un droit fondamental. Semer le désordre avec violence et de manière concertée n’en est pas un. Attaquer nos forces de l’ordre, s’en prendre à nos institutions, dégrader des bâtiments publics, s’introduire dans des préfectures ou des mairies, piller des commerces : rien ne peut le justifier. Au lendemain de cette journée du 17 octobre qui dans certaines villes s’est poursuivie très tard, je remercie vivement et j’apporte mon total soutien aux policiers, aux gendarmes et aux sapeurs pompiers qui, partout en France, sont intervenus dans des conditions extrêmes. Dès la mi-journée, à Marseille dès le matin, des exactions étaient commises par plusieurs milliers d’individus d’ultra gauche décidés à s’en prendre à nos bâtiments publics et à prendre à partie nos forces de l’ordre. Par la suite, ils ont été rejoints par des délinquants qui ont pillé et saccagé de nombreux commerces dans plusieurs villes en France : Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice, Limoges, … et bien d’autres. Pour l’heure, plus de 2 000 personnes ont été interpellées et dès aujourd’hui des enquêtes sont menées pour identifier les auteurs de ces actes pour qu’ils en répondent devant la justice. A ce stade, plus de 600 policiers, gendarmes et sapeurs-pompiers ont été blessés pris dans ces scènes de violences. Ce bilan sanitaire n’est malheureusement que provisoire. Les dégâts matériels sont considérables, pour notamment plusieurs centaines de commerçants. La République ne cédera rien à ceux qui veulent imposer le désordre et la violence.
— Laurent Nuñez (@NunezLaurent) October 18, 2026
The protests drew an estimated 550,000 people nationwide, according to the Interior Ministry. The CGT trade union put the turnout at 800,000.
While many demonstrators marched peacefully, groups of masked individuals clashed with police, set fires, vandalised buildings and ransacked shops.
🚨 #FRANCE ESCALATION: #Protests turn into a broad social crisis as Yellow Vests unions & farmers join students on the streets
Violent clashes fires & subway closures reported across #Paris Police suspend stun grenades after severe injuries
#Breaking
https://t.co/ATa7qmVNdi— Radar News EN (@Radar_EN) October 18, 2026
The violence continued into the evening in several urban centres, prompting riot police to deploy tear gas and water cannon.
President Emmanuel Macron was due to address the nation at 2000 local time (1800 GMT) on Sunday, his office said.
In a statement, Macron said that those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished.
Aucune place pour la violence dans notre République.
Ceux qui ont cassé, attaqué les préfectures comme les commerces, pillé jusqu’à nos mairies, seront poursuivis et punis.
Aux forces de l’ordre, garantes du droit à manifester, je dis le soutien de la Nation.
Nous ferons tous bloc face aux semeurs de chaos, qui ne cherchent qu’à abattre nos institutions et empêchent ceux qui expriment pacifiquement leurs revendications de le faire.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 17, 2026
Historic Buildings Damaged in France
In Limoges, a fire severely damaged the city hall, a 19th-century building that had stood for 143 years. Part of its roof collapsed as firefighters battled the blaze, according to media reports.
Mayor Guillaume Guerin condemned the destruction and said there had been a deliberate attempt to burn down the building.
“There was a clear, premeditated intention to burn down the town hall, and the people inside feared for their lives,” Guerin told Reuters.
He threatened to resign if the city did not receive the one million euros needed to repair the building.
The local prefect, Maurice Barate, told French news channel LCI that the fire had been deliberately set and was brought under control early on Sunday.
In Lyon, a tourist office in the city centre was also set ablaze. Mayor Grégory Doucet described the destruction as a tragedy, saying the building was an iconic local landmark.
Local police said hostile individuals had prevented firefighters from safely tackling the blaze.
Damage was also reported in Grenoble, Avignon, Pau, Montpellier, Valence and other cities. In Bordeaux, a masked group reportedly entered the residence of the local prefect.
In Paris, burnt-out vehicles, smashed shopfronts, damaged bicycles and graffiti-covered buildings marked the aftermath of the unrest. Fires were reported in central locations, including Place de la République.
The main march in the capital had appeared largely peaceful during the afternoon before violence broke out later in the day.
Hundreds of Shops Looted
Businesses across France were among the main targets of the violence, with supermarkets, convenience stores, luxury boutiques and other retail premises looted or vandalised.
Authorities reported incidents in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Nice and Limoges, among other cities.
Reports of looting and violent clashes are emerging from France amid widespread protests.
More than 1,800 arrests and 500 injuries have been reported, though the figures remain unverified.
#France #Protests #Europe https://t.co/6PAn36EtTe
— Cyrus (@Cyrus_In_The_X) October 18, 2026
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said several hundred shops had been damaged. The Retail and Trade Federation estimated that around 1,500 businesses had suffered damage, with losses potentially reaching hundreds of millions of euros.
Carrefour chief executive Alexandre Bompard said 50 of the retailer’s shops had been targeted, including 20 that were looted.
The company’s losses were expected to run into tens of millions of euros, Bompard said, adding that dozens of employees working for franchise partners could be placed on reduced hours.
He also expressed solidarity with the owners of other affected businesses, saying the destruction would have significant human and economic consequences.
Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said up to 100 shops had been looted in his city. Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan announced emergency financial assistance for businesses affected by the violence.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire pledged support for shopkeepers in the capital and said he had requested an emergency task force to assess damage and help businesses navigate insurance and administrative procedures.
A shopkeeper near Place de la République told French outlet Brut that he had invested his savings in his business and feared he had lost everything.
The violence also affected journalists covering the unrest. Euronews correspondent Estelle Nilsson-Julien said masked individuals assaulted her and her cameraman near Place de la République after seeing them filming a supermarket being looted.
She said the attackers punched the cameraman and attempted to seize his microphone. The crew managed to leave the area.
Police Use Tear Gas and Water Cannon
Paris saw some of the most serious clashes, with police making a record 855 arrests, according to authorities.
Riot police charged at crowds in central areas and used batons, tear gas and water cannon as groups set fires and attacked vehicles and businesses.
A Dutch entrepreneur, Tije De Boer, told Reuters that he had been forced to evacuate his hotel near Place de la République with his children after the building suffered major damage. “It’s like a war zone here,” he said.
A 78-year-old Paris resident, Mehmet Ozeden, also described the destruction to AFP, saying it was as though the city had experienced a war.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said hundreds of people were in custody, with investigations covering alleged receiving of stolen goods, association with intent to commit violence and vandalism.
In Saint-Étienne, a young man lost his hand in an incident involving an explosive device, according to statements by the city’s mayor, Régis Juanico.
One demonstrator also died after suffering a cardiac arrest during protests in Paris, according to reports from the French capital.
