The French government has presented a bill that would make rioters financially responsible for damages caused during protests, with compensation up to 10,000 euros. The measure, currently under parliamentary debate, aims to curb looting and acts of vandalism observed on the fringes of recent national demonstrations related to the cost of living and school conditions.

Human rights groups and lawyers, including Hanna Bouchareb, strongly criticize the proposal. They call it undemocratic and detrimental to the right to protest, fearing it could extend responsibility even to peaceful demonstrators near acts of violence. The text provides for co-responsibility for those who are part of a group that causes damage, allowing for the seizure of social benefits.

The Macron administration defends the law, considering it essential to compensate victims of vandalism. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, whose resignation offer was rejected, clarified that it concerns “solidary responsibility”, distinguishing it from “collective” responsibility. This distinction is contested by the French League for Human Rights (LDH) and trade unions.

French businesses report millions of euros in losses. Polls indicate broad public support for the law. The Rassemblement National, through Senator Edwige Diaz, supports the principle of solidary responsibility but calls for the elimination of the 10,000 euro cap, as reported by France 24.