One of France's historic town halls has gone up in flames. On Saturday, October 17, 2026, nationwide demonstrations against the cost of living were largely peaceful, but in Limoges, a group of masked individuals set a police car on fire outside the town hall, then smashed windows and entered the building, according to witnesses. The fire broke out around 6 p.m. and spread quickly, reaching the roof and bringing down the bell tower as firefighters with aerial ladders battled the blaze late into the night. Dramatic video of flames tearing through the 1883 building has since spread widely online.

Local prefect Maurice Barate said the roof had collapsed onto the lower floors, except for the west wing, and that about two-thirds of the exterior was already gone, leaving the building "largely lost." He described the destruction as a catastrophe for the region's heritage and blamed a deliberate act by hooligans, though reports and witnesses describe the arsonists as masked protesters who split off from the wider demonstration. The town hall, designed with inspiration from Paris City Hall, was classified as a historic landmark in 1975, and several shops in the city center were also looted that evening. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, and the big questions now are who was behind the attack, whether anyone will be prosecuted, and how a loss like this will shape the public mood around a protest movement that was mostly peaceful.