France protests latest: Suspect arrested over city hall fire as French PM says curfews are working
French police have arrested a man suspected of involvement in the fire that devastated the historic town hall in Limoges during rioting on 17 October.
The building, dating back to 1883, suffered extensive damage, with its roof and belfry collapsing.
France is set to deploy military forces during further protests planned for this coming Saturday, interior minister Laurent Nunez has said.
“We will deploy the Sentinelle force, obviously as a substitute to interior security forces… mostly to free police and gendarmes in their mission to maintain order,” Mr Nunez told the National Assembly.
Prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said police deployment for Saturday’s demonstrations would be “massive” and that his goal was for an “immediate return to order”.
The French government has continued to impose partial curfews across the country, including in Paris and Nice, after the riots and looting.
“These localised curfews are efficient,” the PM told parliament on Tuesday. “They helped to restore calm last night.”
The French riots have been followed by other unrest across Europe, with similar incidents in Belgium, Albania and Italy, where the government is set to dispatch 500 army troops to “defend Milan”.
