French bill to make rioters pay up to €10,000 draws rights backlash, reports say

A proposed French law would make rioters liable to pay up to €10,000 ($11,150) for damage they cause, according to Reuters and France 24. Both outlets report that rights groups and some lawyers have criticised the bill.

France 24's report is credited "FRANCE 24 with Reuters" and closely repeats the Reuters summary. The accounts reviewed by Vocemundi therefore trace back to a single origin.

According to France 24, parliament is debating the draft bill this week. The reports do not say which chamber is examining it or when votes are due.

What the bill would do

France 24 describes the following provisions:

• Anyone who knowingly formed part of a group would be jointly responsible for damage caused by any member of that group.
• The state could seize the welfare entitlements of people convicted under the law to help pay costs. If they are minors, it could seize their parents' entitlements.

The reports do not quote the bill's text. They do not say how "knowingly formed part of a group" would be defined. They also do not say whether the €10,000 cap applies per person, per incident or in some other way.

Background

According to France 24, the government put forward the bill in response to looting and vandalism. These took place on the fringes of national protests over conditions in French schools and the cost of living. The outlet reports looting and rioting across France on 17 October.

France 24 also reports on Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. It says he offered his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron last week after the unrest overwhelmed security forces. Macron asked him to stay in his post.

In 2020, police were accused of using excessive force against "yellow vest" protesters, France 24 notes. A law restricting the circulation of images of police officers in some circumstances drew criticism at the time. It was later watered down.

What is disputed

The main dispute is whether the bill makes people answer for the actions of others. Nuñez says it creates joint, not collective, responsibility. France's Human Rights League (LDH) and a group of trade unionists reject that distinction.

What each side says

• Government: According to France 24, Macron's government says the law is needed to compensate victims of the vandalism that often follows protests. Nuñez told broadcaster TF1, according to France 24: "What this draft law changes is that we are creating a joint responsibility – not a collective one."
• Rights groups and lawyers: They say the bill attacks the right to protest. They also say its wording could make legitimate protesters near the scene of violence legally responsible. The LDH and trade unionists signed a column in Le Monde this weekend demanding that the bill be scrapped, France 24 reports.
• Hanna Bouchareb: This Paris-based lawyer represented some people accused in fast-track trials over the 17 October rioting. France 24 quoted her as saying: "Around the edges of a protest there can be those who engage in violence or damage with no involvement from the vast majority of peaceful, legitimate demonstrators." She told Reuters, according to France 24: "It's very problematic because it undermines the right to protest." Lawyers including Bouchareb have raised legal concerns over fast-tracked convictions.
• National Rally (RN): Senator Edwige Diaz told French television, according to France 24: "The vandal's law is good in that it recognises the principle of joint responsibility. But not with a cap at €10,000." The party said it would go further.
• Backers of the bill: They say surveys show broad public support. The reports do not identify these surveys.
• Businesses and retailers: They say looting, vandalism and forced closures during protests have cost them millions of euros. The reports do not independently verify this figure.
• Protesters: They say police have used heavy-handed tactics against student protesters in recent weeks.

Analysis

The debate turns on a legal line that both sides draw differently. Nuñez calls the bill "joint" responsibility, while its critics see no real difference from "collective" responsibility. How courts would read "knowingly formed part of a group" could decide whether the law reaches only participants in damage or also peaceful demonstrators nearby. Parliament could pass the bill largely as drafted. It could also narrow its wording, as happened with the 2020 police-image law, or face pressure from the RN to raise the cap. Each outcome would affect victims' compensation and protest rights differently. The bill's final text will matter more than the political arguments around it.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.