Limoges town hall fire: mayor Guérin accuses far-left "commando"
On 17 October, far-left activists set fire to Limoges town hall, a historic monument. The mayor is demanding a substantial financial commitment for its reconstruction.
Limoges: town hall devastated by flames on 17 October
Lepopulaire.fr reports that Limoges town hall, a Neo-Renaissance building classified as a historic monument since 1975, was set on fire on Saturday, 17 October on the sidelines of a national day of mobilisation against the cost of living. The 43-metre bell tower collapsed, the roof caved in on the lower storeys and two-thirds of the façade was destroyed. Inside, the remaining floors and roofs pose a risk of collapse.
Limoges mayor Guillaume Guérin, a member of the LR party, described the events in an interview with Le Monde. "First there was a peaceful demonstration," he explained, clarifying that among the 5,000 demonstrators present, "500 to 600 far-left activists had infiltrated the march". Police forces, attacked by mortar fire, quickly became overwhelmed, before a "violent intrusion" was perpetrated into the building.
"They had planned it"
According to Guérin, the attack on the town hall cannot be attributed to "opportunistic looters" who ransacked shops in the city. "The graffiti 'Long live the Commune!', those are not the kids who know what that means," he said firmly. He insists that the perpetrators had planned the operation: "They knew how to get in. They had brought mortars, a 200-kilogram battering ram. That doesn't fit in a backpack."
The mayor described individuals "dressed all in black, kitted out for urban warfare", carrying black flags, anarchist flags, Palestinian flags or flags of the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA). Inside the building, the attackers reportedly shouted: "You're all going to burn!" The official posted at the entrance, threatened with death, was forced to flee. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the staff present.
Inaugurated in 1883 and designed by architect Charles-Alfred Leclerc, a winner of the Prix de Rome, the town hall was decorated with paintings by Henri-Paul Motte, Jean-Joseph Weerts and Urbain Bourgeois. The prefect of Haute-Vienne, Maurice Barate, described the destruction as a "heritage catastrophe" on the evening of 17 October. "The building is largely lost," he had said.
Mayor demands written commitments from Prime Minister
Guillaume Guérin expressed serious concern about the risk of such events being repeated. "It was symbols of authority that were being targeted. If we continue to be naive, these scenes will recur on a regular basis. We need to give the police the means to contain these demonstrations," he said, demanding "written commitments from the Prime Minister".
On the matter of reconstruction, the mayor issued an ultimatum: "The town hall must be rebuilt under the same rules as Notre-Dame de Paris, with someone appointed to oversee the project. If I do not have a massive financial commitment by Tuesday, the municipal council is ready to resign."
Other heritage sites affected in France
Limoges was not the only city to suffer heritage damage on 17 October. In Lyon, the former west military pavilion in Place Bellecour, built in 1852 by architect Tony Desjardins and which housed the tourist office, was also set on fire. This building had undergone major renovation in 2015. Art Tribune described the perpetrators as "a gang of criminals" and spoke of a "terrorist" attack for the events in Limoges.
In Marseille, masked individuals forced their way into the town hall, ransacked the interior, threw down a bust of Marianne and sprayed graffiti on the walls. These images provoked national indignation, given that republican symbols were deliberately targeted.
Stéphane Bern promises restoration "to identical specification"
Presenter Stéphane Bern, who has been in charge of the Heritage Mission since 2017, responded on 18 October in a video published on Instagram. "These images shame and revolt us. What is the point of spending our time defending our country's heritage if, in just a few hours, savage hordes destroy the common houses of our cities?" he said.
Bern nevertheless wanted to convey a message of hope, promising a "restoration to identical specification of the buildings" to demonstrate that "what unites us is stronger than what divides us". He assured that he would not allow "the great momentum of French people attached to heritage to be obscured within us".
The full extent of the damage remains to be determined, particularly regarding the condition of the works housed inside Limoges town hall. The authorities must also assess what can be saved before embarking on any restoration procedure. Meanwhile, tensions and blockades continued in several French cities in the days following the incidents.
Source: Google News LU FR