France’s parliament is weighing a bill that would make people jointly liable for damage caused by members of groups they knowingly joined, raising concerns about compensation and the right to protest.
Reuters reported that the proposal sets a €10,000 ceiling on liability for people who knowingly joined a group in which a member caused damage. It would also allow the state to use welfare entitlements to cover costs after a conviction, including a parent’s entitlements if the convicted person is a minor. EconoTimes previously covered a proposal to assign riot-damage costs to those held responsible.
President Emmanuel Macron’s government says the measure would help compensate people affected by vandalism and looting after protests. French businesses and retailers attribute millions of euros in losses to looting, vandalism, protest-related closures and the cost of boarding up shop windows.
Critics say the wording could expose peaceful demonstrators to liability if they knowingly joined a group in which others caused damage. Hanna Bouchareb, a Paris-based lawyer who represented people accused in fast-track proceedings over the Oct. 17 riots, said violence can occur near peaceful demonstrators. She told Reuters the proposal threatens the right to protest.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez rejected the argument that the bill weakens individual accountability, saying it creates “joint responsibility.” Trade unionists and France’s Human Rights League (LDH) used a weekend Le Monde column to call for the measure’s withdrawal.
National Rally Sen. Edwige Diaz backed the principle of joint liability but said the €10,000 cap should be higher, Reuters reported. Reuters also cited criticism of police conduct during the 2020 “yellow vest” protests and recent complaints about policing of student protests and fast-track riot convictions.
Parliament is debating the proposal this week, Reuters reported.
