France’s Senate has approved a bill that would make rioters financially responsible for damages caused during public disturbances, as the country continues to face widespread unrest.
Under the proposed “Rioters Pay” legislation, protesters could be required to pay up to €10,000 ($11,140) “for the compensation of damages resulting from crimes and offenses committed by force or violence.” Welfare benefits could also be seized to cover the costs.
The French government is dealing with violent protests across the country while seeking to reduce excessive public spending. The demonstrations, which initially started as a student movement, have expanded into broader public unrest, with protesters demanding issues ranging from increased investment in education to measures to ease the rising cost of living.
Tensions reached a peak earlier this month when demonstrations escalated into riots, looting and violent confrontations with security forces. More protests are expected over the weekend.
On October 21, French Economy Minister Roland Lescure said in an interview that the unrest and violence had caused damage worth “tens or perhaps hundreds of millions” of euros.
Senators voted in favour of the “Rioters Pay” bill on Wednesday, with 229 lawmakers supporting it and 105 opposing it.
The government initially presented the bill to the Senate on September 16. However, it must also secure approval from the National Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament, before it can become law.
Rights Groups Oppose ‘Rioters Pay’ Bill
Under the proposed legislation, individuals could be held financially responsible for damage they did not personally cause if they knowingly joined a group established to commit violence or destroy property, or remained at a violent public gathering despite police warnings.
The proposal has attracted criticism from human rights organisations.
Nathalie Godard, director of the action department at Amnesty International France, said in a statement that the bill “threatens to further deter people from exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”
She added: “Holding protesters responsible – and making them pay – for acts committed by others creates a risk of arbitrary punishment and would be contrary to France’s international obligations.”
Addressing the Senate earlier this week, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, one of the three ministers who introduced the bill, urged lawmakers to support the proposal.
He said: “We can no longer allow the majority of our citizens to pay for a minority of rioters.”
France Faces Pressure Over Public Spending
French lawmakers are also negotiating the country’s 2027 fiscal budget, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu aiming to cut public expenditure by €54 billion ($61.8 billion).
France is currently under the European Union’s excessive deficit procedure, with the bloc pressing Paris to reduce its national deficit to approximately 3 per cent of gross domestic product by 2029, compared with 5.1 per cent in 2025.
In recent years, disagreements over public spending have contributed to the collapse of French governments. Lecornu himself resigned less than a month after taking office amid disputes over the budget, but President Emmanuel Macron reappointed him days later.
Growing concerns about France’s fiscal credibility have also placed pressure on the country’s bond market, with government borrowing costs reaching a 24-year high in recent weeks.
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