La bibliothèque de l'Alcazar à Marseille

Public Library Burning

The Alcazar library in Marseille victim of an attempted fire

I’m not getting much news on this yet—except from India—

The third consecutive night of unrest unfolded in France following the killing of a teenager, leading to widespread incidents including numerous fires, the looting of police vehicles, and the break-ins of stores. Protesters went on to ransack banks, erect barricades, and set cars ablaze in various parts of the country. According to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, a total of 667 individuals were arrested overnight.

One of the many distressing videos circulating on social media showed a devastating scene of rioters in France setting ablaze the largest public library in the city of Marseille. The footage shows flames engulfing the institution, symbolising the loss of knowledge, culture, and community resources. This act of destruction represents a tragic blow to the city's cultural heritage and a deeply concerning manifestation of the ongoing unrest.

France Violence: Rioters Burn Down Largest Public Library In Marseille; Visuals Surface (freepressjournal.in)

There is this video on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1674687647871107072

In 1962 the Algeria-University Library Burned in 1962 —The burning of the library was seen as a symbol of the rightness of Algerian independence and resulted in a number of Muslim countries issuing postage stamps commemorating the tragic event. These included Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.¹

1. Eberhart, George M. “Biblio-Philately: Libraries and Librarians on World Postage Stamps.” American Libraries, vol. 13, no. 6, 1982, pp. 382–386.