French Senate passes bill forcing protesters to pay for demonstration damage

The French Senate approved a bill on Wednesday to make protesters financially responsible for damage caused during public demonstrations. Euronews and France 24 both reported that the measure passed the upper house of parliament, with Euronews noting the vote was 229 to 105. A right-wing and centrist alliance holding a majority in the chamber backed the legislation. [1][3][4]

Under the proposed law, individuals could face fines of up to 10,000 euros for damage caused during social unrest, according to Euronews and France 24. France 24 reported that the legislation also permits the potential seizure of welfare benefits and aims to penalize both individual perpetrators and people belonging to the same group. [1][2][4]

The legislation was drafted following riots that broke out in May after Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League final, Euronews and France 24 reported. France 24 noted that rights groups and critics warn the proposed laws could undermine the fundamental public right to protest. [1][4]

The Senate is the upper house of the French Parliament, while the lower house is the National Assembly. As FTMQ News reported earlier, French authorities recently deployed 70,000 police officers across the country following widespread unrest and opposition criticism over government handling of public demonstrations. [6][8]

The bill now moves to the politically divided National Assembly for further debate and a vote before it can become law, according to Euronews. [1]