Consequences of the protests in France: one person has died, 1,200 have been arrested and there is destruction everywhere

In Francetoday thereis abitter hangover from the protests of October 17. The most massive protests of the past have left a grim balance: one person has died, hundreds have been injured, more than 1,000 people have been arrested, and material damage as serious as many. The anger of the protesters was mixed with violence, causing a breakdown: damage to the furniture and buildings of the city, barricades, looting.

The Paris Prefecture reported today that a person died yesterday from cardiorespiratory arrest in the capital and that a young man lost his arm when a grenade fired by the police exploded in Saint Etienne (south-east). Hundreds of people were injured, including 125 officers and two firefighters.

There are no up-to-date data onthe entire French state (the latest figure was given by Interior Minister Laurent Núñez at 8:00 p.m. 1,200), but in the metropolitan area of Paris it is now 855 (today's 8:00 a.m.), 160 in Lyon.

The Paris Prefecture recalled what Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said last night: "Detainees must pay for what they have done and be punished."

More than 50 demonstrations were held throughout France, involving students, workers, pensioners, 'yellow vests', farmers, climate activists and even anti-fascist militants, with more than 800,000 citizens (500,000 according to the Minister of the Interior) taking to the streets.

The protests were also echoed in Iparralde. The demonstration in Bayonne was very crowded. After the march, demonstrators turned to the A63 motorway and blocked the road for hours, followed by riots in the Subprefecture of Bayona.

The next day, the streets look like a disaster. Broken shop windows, painted, city furniture lying on the ground like barricades, and damage to the town halls of Marseille (south) and Lille (northwest). 

Limoges City Hall, burnt with flames

The fire brigade managed to control last night's fire at Limoges City Hall, according to the prefect of the Department of Haute-Vienne.

According to local authorities, following the demonstration in the city, several people violently opened the door and set fire to the building. The flames spread rapidly, and the bell tower collapsed.

The mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guerin, has strongly condemned the attack, claiming that "the beloved building has been destroyed, but the public service is not suspended."