PARIS: The French parliament’s upper house on Tuesday debated a bill that would make protesters financially liable for damage caused during street demonstrations, despite warnings from critics that it could curb the right to protest.
The bill was drafted in response to riots that followed Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League final in May.
But it has taken on added significance after weeks of protests over inequality and soaring prices culminated in some of the worst violence France has seen in years on October 17, when thousands of businesses across the country were damaged and looted.
The legislation, due to be voted on later Tuesday, was expected to receive strong backing in the upper house, where a right-wing and centrist alliance holds a majority.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whom opinion polls place as the frontrunner to succeed Emmanuel Macron in next spring’s presidential election, supports the legislation.
Speaking in parliament, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stressed the “urgency” of responding to the damage and scenes of chaos seen on October 17.
“We can no longer allow the vast majority of our fellow citizens to pay for a minority of vandals,” he said.
Under the legislation, protesters could be ordered to pay up to 10,000 euros for damage caused during street demonstrations.
But critics argue that people who took no part in vandalism could nonetheless be held liable if they were deemed to have been associated with those responsible.
The bill introduces joint financial liability for anyone found to have “knowingly participated” in a group formed with the intent of carrying out acts of vandalism.
It would also apply to individuals who “voluntarily” continued to take part in a gathering likely to disrupt public order after two police dispersal warnings.
Welfare benefits and housing assistance could also be seized to help cover the cost of damages under the scheme, a provision that has drawn sharp criticism from left-wing parties and advocacy groups.
Left-wing lawmakers accused the government of an “authoritarian drift” at the expense of the “freedom to demonstrate”.
Communist senator Fabien Gay denounced what he called a “legal travesty that deliberately conflates protesters and rioters”.
Two motions to reject the bill outright, tabled by the left, were defeated.
In a letter published in French daily Le Monde last week, a coalition of trade unions and student groups warned of a “serious infringement on the freedom to demonstrate.”
They argued the measures would disproportionately affect “the poorest families” and encourage “arbitrary police action.”
Amnesty International has urged the government to abandon the proposal.
