A 19th-century city hall in central France has been almost completely destroyed after rioters allegedly set the historic building ablaze during nationwide protests.

Flames engulfed the City Hall in Limoges, causing its roof to collapse and leaving much of the building in ruins.

Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate said “radical troublemakers” had broken into the building while elected officials, employees, security personnel and members of the public were still inside.

“They deliberately set the building on fire. It is an extremely serious and unspeakable act,” he said.

The attack was among several incidents targeting public buildings during Saturday’s demonstrations.

Macron appealed during his address yesterday for unity across France after the violent scenes on Saturday.

“Everyone must be accountable and take their responsibility,” he said.

“We must make sure our youth believe in their future, believe they can be around the table, so we need all to sit round the table and build together the solution, students, pupils, teachers trade unionists, our local authorities, everyone must be together for the greater good,” he added.

But he said that for “those who want to spark violence and create unrest in our country, we will not yield”.

Hundreds of people were arrested and buildings set on fire across France on Saturday as protests over the cost of living crisis spread.

In Paris, police fired tear gas into crowds on Saturday, while there were also violent incidents reported in Marseille, Rennes, Toulouse and Angers. By Sunday, as the clean-up began, more than 1,800 people had been arrested.

The turmoil marks the latest test for Emmanuel Macron’s presidency as France contends with both foreign and domestic troubles.

The protests began in September, launched by students angry at the conditions at their high schools after the summer holidays.

However, they have since grown, fuelled by a wider group of protesters incensed about the cost of living.

Here’s everything you need to know about the movement.

Fresh clashes broke out in Paris on Sunday a day after France suffered one of its worst days of unrest in years.

Police again fired tear gas towards protesters at Place de la Republique and bikes were set on fire on Sunday afternoon, a sign that tensions had not fully subsided in the capital.

Protests over high prices left one demonstrator dead, thousands arrested and shops across the country looted or damaged on Saturday.

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who joined the Paris march, accused prime minister Sébastien Lecornu of “playing with fire” and alleging that “by banking on degradation, you have only succeeded in uniting all youths and workers’ unions.”

Mr Mélenchon insisted that “my message is clear: those who share our fight have no business in looting or destruction.”

In his last few months as president of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron looks more than ever a man who lost control of events, lost touch with the nation he leads, and lost the confidence of international investors with it.

Rather than through, say, a television interview or a speech delivered in person, President Macron, so inappropriately aloof, chose initially to react to the protests that have broken out across France over the weekend, sparking disorder, violence and hundreds of arrests in a rather terse statement on X: “Those who took part in the vandalism, attacked prefectures and stores, and engaged in looting, including in city hall buildings, will be brought to justice and will be punished.”

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Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire announced the creation of an emergency unit to support businesses assess the damage.

“The scale of the damage is considerable and unprecedented,” Mr Grégoire wrote in an open letter.

“Paris is a city of freedoms, debate and demonstrations. It must remain so. But it must also be a city where everyone can work and run a business safely.”

Police said groups of hundreds of people formed unauthorized marches across central Paris on Saturday.

“By late afternoon, a new phase began with the arrival of large numbers of people whose sole aim was to steal and loot, taking advantage of the unrest,” police said.

In Marseille, 107 police officers were injured including three “seriously”, according to one of the area’s prefects.

“Alongside the acts of looting and violence witnessed by the city of Marseille today, 107 police officers were injured, three of them very seriously,” Jacques Witkowski, the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône, said according to Le Parisien.

He added: “I respectfully thank the law enforcement officers who were mobilized on the front lines throughout the day and who are still holding on. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured men and women.”