France rocked by nationwide clashes, blazes and looting

The widespread unrest followed weeks of student protests and comes just six months ahead of elections to replace President Emmanuel Macron.

This photograph shows a fire burning and destroying the city hall after a group of individuals forced entry into the building during ongoing protest action against the "high cost of living", in Limoges, central France on October 17, 2026 as part of a nationwide call for mobilisation bringing together various groups expressing their anger: former "Yellow Vest", secondary school and university students, climate activists and even farmers.

Whole streets in Paris "have been devastated", the city's mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said as groups of masked young men torched parked cars and ransacked shops.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who had condemned the "extreme intensity" of the violence, said 1,200 people had been arrested and 150 police officers hurt.

Source: Citizen Digital