Suspect arrested in France after fire at Limoges city hall

A man has been arrested after a fire at the town hall of Limoges, according to French media.

The man was arrested early in the morning in Val-d'Issoire, Haute-Vienne, BFM reports.

He is 34 and authorities consider him a member of the ultra-left, according to a source close to the case.

Overnight curfews helped keep the calm, French PM says

On Saturday, flames engulfed the 19th-century city hall, causing the roof to collapse in striking images broadcast worldwide.

The blaze ripped through the roof, felling the building's clock tower.

The local prefect, Maurice Barate, said the roof had caved in on to lower floors, sparing only the west wing, and that large sections of the exterior had been destroyed.

In France, demonstrations that started over deteriorating school facilities in Paris' northern suburbs morphed into some of the country's worst unrest in decades, with shops looted and buildings set on fire.

One protester died on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest during protests in Paris.

Police made 2,400 arrests across the country, while nearly 1,000 officers were injured, French interior minister Laurent Nunez said.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday voiced the public's "anger" and "shame" over rioting and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools.

Overnight curfews in violence-hit zones of French cities helped bring some calm after the nation's worst unrest in years, ahead of more demonstrations planned for ‌the weekend, the government said.

The French government tried to reassure the public it had learned from security oversights that left the centres of cities such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon largely unprotected from rioters and looters moving in after protests.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a post on X: "The targeted curfews have contributed to the calm of last night."

He added the restrictions may be extended further into the week if the unrest continues.

In central Paris, police emptied and guarded the Place de la Republique overnight, with a helicopter watching over the area.

In Lille, to the north of the country, where the curfew only applied to children, police patrolled the city centre, checking the identities of anyone passing on the street.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan said there would be curfews for minors around the commercial areas worst affected by the weekend's riots, starting on Tuesday night.

High school pupil strikes and protests against falling standards and growing dilapidation have converged with a wider outpouring of fury at rising prices and the feeling that health, housing and welfare needs are also no longer being met.

More from Sky News:
Four UN soldiers missing after attack in Haiti
Prince Harry 'wants to reconcile' with family

Justice minister Gerald Darmanin told the French TV network BFM that 149 people held at the weekend were in detention awaiting trial. He added that about 2,500 were still in custody for questioning.

Mr Lecornu invited political parties from both his government and the opposition to hold consultations on Thursday.

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally ‌said it would send a representative, but it remained unclear whether the hard-left France Unbowed party led by Jean-Luc Melenchon would also attend.

Mr Lecornu vowed on Monday the government would learn lessons from last weekend's demonstrations and the chaos that followed.

He said: "There were things that went well, and things that were screwed up. My determination to restore order is absolute."

Crowds also took to the streets in other countries, including Italy and Albania, where there has been similar anger over living conditions, sparking clashes.

(c) Sky News 2026: Suspect arrested in France after fire at Limoges city hall