France: Senate backs making protesters pay up to €10,000 for damage
By 229 votes to 105, the Senate passed a bill that makes people who join violent protests pay for damage – if need be via their welfare benefits. The left and Amnesty warn of an attack on the right to protest.
Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
France's Senate on Wednesday voted 229 to 105 for a tougher bill under which protesters could be ordered to pay up to €10,000 for damage caused during demonstrations. Joint liability would apply to anyone who knowingly joins a group set on vandalism, or who stays in a gathering after two police dispersal warnings. Welfare and housing benefits could be seized to cover the costs. The bill now goes to the divided National Assembly.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez pointed to the unrest of October 17, when thousands of businesses across the country were damaged or looted: "We can no longer allow the vast majority of our fellow citizens to pay for a minority of vandals." Marine Le Pen also backs the bill. Communist senator Fabien Gay called it a "legal travesty that deliberately conflates protesters and rioters", and Green senator Mélanie Vogel spoke of "collective punishment". "If passed, this bill would be a deeply regressive step," said Nathalie Godard of Amnesty International France.
The row comes amid weeks of protests that began over conditions in schools. Unions have called a general strike for November 5. UEFA has therefore moved the Europa League match between Rennes and Olympiacos to Wednesday, November 4, at 4:30 p.m., after authorities said the usual security could not be guaranteed on the strike day. Several Ligue 1 matches have also been postponed.