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'Deeply regressive': How the French government plans to make protesters pay for riots and looting
France 24 • • world
Key Points:
- Riots and looting during October 17 protests against rising living costs in France caused extensive damage, with nearly 2,500 businesses affected and estimated losses close to one billion euros.
- The French government introduced a draft law making protesters liable to pay up to €10,000 for damages caused during demonstrations, even if they were not directly responsible, aiming to broaden accountability.
- Critics, including human rights groups, unions, and legal experts, argue the law threatens the right to peaceful protest, risks arbitrary enforcement, and could lead to collective punishment by targeting social benefits.
- The draft law raises practical and ethical concerns about identifying responsible individuals, the timeframe for dispersal compliance, and the fairness of penalizing those who did not engage in violence.
- Legal professionals emphasize the importance of upholding civil liberties and due process, advocating punishment only for proven offenders without undermining fundamental rights to demonstrate.
