Limoges Burns: Why Does the Times Leave Out the Far-Left Connection?

The violence accompanying the protests in France has destroyed historic public property. In Limoges, rioters set fire to the town hall on 17 October. The roof was destroyed, the bell tower collapsed, and the prefect described the building as largely lost. Inaugurated in 1883, this historic building was 143 years old. A piece of the city’s heritage has been devastated. (leparisien.fr⁠)

Who was responsible for the violence? International reporting included a significant element that readers of the Times of Malta’s report were not given. Associated Press quoted French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez describing those responsible for the wider disturbances as “extremely violent, radical far-left groups”. Reuters also reported that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu blamed the unrest on the ultra-left and criminals. Senior members of the French government made these accusations. (apnews.com⁠, reuters.com⁠)

The Times of Malta reported the disturbances under the headline “Looting, blazes, clashes as 550,000 protest in France”. It mentioned the attack on Limoges town hall and the flames reaching its roof. Yet the version I examined did not include the French government’s attribution of the violence to radical far-left groups. (timesofmalta.com⁠)

That omission deserves scrutiny. Reporting the accusation would not have required the newspaper to endorse it or present it as a proven finding. It could have simply told readers what the interior minister and prime minister said, with clear attribution.

Imagine if the French government had blamed radical far-right groups for comparable attacks. Would that political identification have been left out? I strongly suspect it would have received considerable prominence, perhaps even in the headline. That is my assessment of the editorial double standard at issue here.

I regard this omission as an example of selective reporting that softens the portrayal of violence attributed to the far left. 

Peaceful protest is a democratic right. Burning a town hall is an attack on public property, public services and a community’s historical inheritance. Whatever the perpetrators’ political allegiance, the reporting should apply the same standard: describe the destruction, report the relevant evidence and official accusations, and make clear what has—and has not—been established.