Rights groups say proposed French law to make rioters pay for damage is anti-democratic
Summary
France’s government has proposed a law making people pay up to €10,000 for damage caused during protests. Rights groups and lawyers warn that its wording could hold peaceful demonstrators responsible for damage done by others, while the government says the measure would help compensate victims.Key Facts
- Parliament is debating the draft bill this week.
- The bill would make people who knowingly joined a group jointly responsible for damage caused by any member.
- The state could seize welfare benefits from people convicted under the law, or from their parents if they are minors.
- The government says the bill responds to looting and vandalism during protests, including unrest on October 17.
- Businesses and retailers say they lost millions of euros to vandalism, looting, or protest-related shop closures.
- France’s Human Rights League and trade unionists have called for the bill to be scrapped.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez says the bill creates joint responsibility, not collective responsibility.
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