Masked Protesters Burn Limoges Town Hall, Survived Two World Wars

France's 140-year-old Limoges town hall was largely destroyed by a blaze set by masked protesters who broke in during nationwide clashes on Saturday, as marches against soaring inflation degenerated into street violence of "extreme intensity." The unrest followed weeks of student protests and deepened political uncertainty ahead of elections in six months. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu reported 1,200 arrests and 150 police officers injured, with looting reported in Paris, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges, Lille, Toulouse, and Strasbourg. Police used tear gas and water cannon against projectiles and fireworks, and a 17-year-old lost his hand to a crowd-control grenade in Saint-Etienne. The Yellow Vest movement had called for the demonstrations, which drew 550,000 to 800,000 participants over cost-of-living grievances worsened by Middle East conflict. Opposition candidates Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Melenchon traded blame, while some protesters drew parallels to the French Revolution of 1789.