巴黎讯 - 法国安全部队于10月20日逮捕了一名据信与极左派有关联的男子，涉嫌在周末全国抗议活动期间，纵火烧毁了法国中部一座历史悠久的市政厅。
PARIS - French security forces on Oct 20 arrested a man believed to be connected to the ultra-left over the burning down of a historic town hall in central France during rioting at the weekend on the sidelines of nationwide protests.
反恐警察也已介入调查利摩日市市政厅的涉嫌纵火案件。这座建于1883年的建筑于10月17日被大火吞噬，屋顶和钟楼倒塌。
Anti-terror police have also been called in to investigate the suspected arson on the town hall in the central city of Limoges, a building dating back to 1883 whose roof and belfry collapsed when it was engulfed by fire on Oct 17.
这座建筑的毁坏已成为10月17日抗议活动边缘爆发暴力骚乱的象征。当天的抗议活动旨在表达对生活成本上涨、学校状况等不满的愤怒。
The destruction of the building has become a symbol of the violent rioting that erupted on the margins of a day of protests on Oct 17 that were called in a show of anger against grievances including the rising cost of living and conditions in schools.
大火导致建筑倒塌的场景，也勾起了法国民众对2019年4月巴黎圣母院大火的记忆。调查人员认为那场大火系意外引起，但曾令全国震惊。
The scenes of the building collapsing as it was hit by fire also brought back memories in France of the April 2019 fire that ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris which investigators believe started by accident but horrified the country.
利摩日检察官办公室表示，这名据信40岁的男子在附近的瓦利索瓦镇被专业的RAID警察部队逮捕。
The man, believed to be aged 40, was arrested by officers from the specialised RAID police unit in the nearby town of Val d’Issoire, the office of the Limoges prosecutor said.
一位接近调查的消息人士透露，该男子此前曾被标记为需要监控的潜在威胁人员，并与极左翼运动有关联。
He had previously been flagged as someone requiring surveillance as a potential threat and is linked to ultra-left movements, a source close to the case said.
另一位不愿透露姓名的接近调查的消息人士补充说，法国司法警察下属的反恐副局（SDAT）也已介入进一步调查此案。
Meanwhile, France’s Counter-Terrorism Sub-Directorate (SDAT), a branch of the judicial police, has been called in to investigate the case further, another source close to the case added, asking not to be named.
法国司法部长热拉尔·达尔马宁于10月19日晚表示，反恐检察官将很快决定是否以涉嫌恐怖袭击立案调查此事。
French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said late on Oct 19 that anti-terror prosecutors would soon decide whether to investigate the incident as a suspected terror attack.
达尔马宁对TF1电视台表示：“如果他们接手此案，就意味着这是一起恐怖行为——暗示某些人，特别是来自极左翼的人员，明蓄意策划了这起市政厅毁坏案。”
“If they take up the case, it means it is a terrorist act – implying that certain individuals, notably from the far left, clearly organised this destruction of the town hall,” Darmanin told TF1.
右翼市长吉约姆·盖兰抨击警方的应对，称警方“缺乏必要资源”，在暴徒面前“退缩了”。
The right-wing mayor of Limoges, Guillaume Guerin, has lambasted the response by police, who he said “lacked the necessary resources” and “backed down” in the face of rioters.
他呼吁政府“投入数百万欧元”重建市政厅，并表示“国家失职了”。总理塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努的办公室称，他将于10月23日前往利摩日。
He called on the government to “inject millions” to rebuild the town hall, adding that “the state has failed.”Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to visit Limoges on Oct 23, his office said.
据当局称，约5000人参加了10月17日在利摩日举行的示威，其中包括700名被描述为“激进且极其暴力”的个人。
Around 5,000 people, including 700 individuals described by the authorities as “radicalised and extremely violent,” took part in the demonstration in Limoges on Oct 17.
随后，约7000人于10月18日晚参加抗议活动，谴责暴力行为。
Some 7,000 people then took part in a protest to denounce the violence on the evening of Oct 18.