France Senate advances bill making protesters pay for riot damage

France's Senate debated a bill Tuesday that would hold demonstrators financially liable for damage during protests, with a vote expected to pass. The legislation, first proposed after May's Champions League final riots, gained urgency after October 17 protests over inequality and living costs turned violent, damaging thousands of businesses nationwide.

Under the bill, individuals "knowingly participating" in groups formed for vandalism face up to €10,000 in damages. Protesters who remain after two police dispersal warnings also share liability. Controversially, welfare payments and housing assistance can be seized to recover costs.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez argued citizens shouldn't pay for "a minority of vandals." Marine Le Pen, frontrunner for next spring's presidential election, backs the law. Left-wing senators, trade unions, student groups, and Amnesty International warn it conflates peaceful protesters with rioters and disproportionately hits poor families.

Two rejection motions failed. The right-wing/centrist alliance holds a Senate majority.

For Nigerians in France—students, workers, or asylum seekers—this signals tighter protest restrictions. In Nigeria, where protest rights remain contested after EndSARS, the French precedent may influence domestic debates on demonstration laws.

Will foreign governments adopt similar "financial liability" models to curb dissent, or will courts strike this down as a violation of assembly rights?

SOURCE: https://dailypost.ng/2026/10/28/france-senate-debates-bill-to-make-protesters-pay-for-riot-damage/