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In pictures: French landmarks damaged and destroyed by violent protesters

Paulin Kolaand
Pilar Tomás,Visual journalist
News imageBBC Map of France highlighting Paris, Lyon and Limoges alongside photographs showing unrest: a burning kiosk, a municipal building engulfed in flames, and a fire-damaged building.BBC

Local curfews may come into force in French towns following a weekend of disorder.

Most of the protesters were peaceful in expressing their opposition to rising fuel prices, the cost of living and deteriorating public services, including schools.

But others - dressed in black and wearing masks and balaclavas - set fire to cars, shops and buildings.

The scale of the destruction - including to some iconic landmarks - has shocked many in a country used to street protests.

The damage in the capital city is extensive. Shop fronts have been broken and stores looted.

News imagePA Media Firefighters spraying water on a fire Place De La Republique in Paris, during a march against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools. Picture date: Saturday October 17, 2026.PA Media
Kiosks, vehicles and buildings were set alight and destroyed close to some of the city's most recognisable areas, including here at Place De La Republique in Paris
News imageGetty Images A group of protesters, those in front kicking and breaking the glass door and window of a shopGetty Images
Front doors and windows were broken down as looting broken out in several cities
News imageReuters A protester stands on a barricade on the Champs-Elysees avenue Reuters
Some groups erected barricades on the Champs-Elysees in Paris

The iconic Place de la Republique was vandalised, too.

A yellow vest - representative of the movement which helped co-ordinate the weekend protests - was draped around the body of the Statue of the Republic, erected in 1883.

Groups of rioters, some dressed in black and wearing masks and balaclavas, took over parts of the capital and wreaked havoc.

Tear gas and stun grenades were fired at hundreds of people but police struggled to contain smaller groups of people roving around the city attack businesses.

The full extent of the damage did not become clear until dawn broke on Sunday.

News imageReuters A damaged shop front, whose green-framed window and door panes have been broken. Above the door, "Good Vibes" can be seen written in yellow. A woman in black is taking a picture.Reuters
This bakery was one of several businesses set on fire in Paris
News imageGetty Images Bicycles among objects set on fire in the middle of a roadGetty Images
Some groups piled rental bikes in the middle of roads and set them alight
News imageGetty Images Charred cars parked to the right of a street which ends in a beautiful classical archGetty Images
Cars were set alight close to the Porte Saint-Denis in the capital

Further south in Marseille, protesters broke into the city hall by using a metal fence as a battering ram.

A bust of Marianne - symbol of the French Republic - was damaged and knocked to the floor in Marseille as people ransacked the building.

News imageReuters The statue of Marianne, damaged when protesters vandalised the lobby of Marseille's city hall, is seen on the floor inside the buildingReuters

City Mayor Benoît Payan was furious with the "almost total lack of control" by the security forces.

"The world's sixth largest power does not deserve this. The world is watching us, this morning we are the shame of Europe," he said.

In the city of Lyon, Mayor Grégory Doucet said the burning of the city's tourist office, housed in a 19th Century building, was "a tragedy".

Chaos around the tourist office in Lyon as flames engulf it

Fire crews also battled a fire at Limoges town hall, which caused part of the building to collapse. Local officials said the town hall was "largely lost".

"A wild horde" had "deliberately" set fire to the 143-year-old building, said Maurice Barate, the prefect for the Haute-Vienne department.

News imageComparison of Limoges Town Hall before and after a fire. The top image, from May 2026, shows the historic building intact with its clock tower and roof. The bottom image, from October 2026, shows the tower collapsed and large sections of the roof destroyed, with emergency vehicles and onlookers outside.
In Limoges, the spire at the top of the ornate city hall has been destroyed by the fire

French authorities have admitted they lost control of cities to the protesters.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation - which has been rejected.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has given local mayors the power to introduce partial curfews in some parts of the country, which he says is designed to protect people and businesses.

But the French are holding their breath - in anticipation of another chapter in this protest next Saturday.