Macron vows looters will pay for seeking to bring down the Republic

More than 2,000 people were arrested and more than 600 police officers injured in French unrest around Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, with up to half a million protesters involved over the weekend. Limoges town hall, 140 years old, burned with its roof destroyed and bell tower collapsed; protesters broke into Marseille city hall, overturned furniture, and knocked down a bust of Marianne; rioters ransacked the Bordeaux prefect's residence; and several hundred shops were damaged, according to the interior minister. Demonstrations had begun a month earlier with teachers and students over staff shortages. Trouble also spread to Milan and Lisbon on Sunday. In a live TV address, Emmanuel Macron said nothing justifies the violence and that those who looted will have to pay back for the damage and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable. Donald Trump wrote that France is burning and blamed immigration of people with hatred in their hearts. Kirill Dmitriev said left-wing globalists are sowing migration-driven chaos. Jordan Bardella called Macron's address pathetic. Limoges mayor Guillaume Guerin said those who organize, bring battering rams, smash windows, and identify basement entrances are not the kids. A female protester in Paris tried to block looters from a grocery store before being pushed past.