France fast-tracks bill making protesters jointly liable for up to €10,000 of damage
The French government is fast-tracking a "vandals pay" bill that would make people who knowingly belong to a group jointly liable for damage it causes, up to €10,000. Unions, the Human Rights League and some lawyers say it threatens the right to protest; the government says it is needed to compensate victims.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The French government is fast-tracking a bill, dubbed the "vandals pay" law, under which people at demonstrations could be made to pay up to €10,000 for damage and vandalism. The GuardianLC “the government fast-tracks a bill to make protesters pay for damage caused by vandalism at street demonstrations even if they did not directly cause it themselves” Read at The Guardian ↗ The Straits TimesRC “A proposed French law making rioters liable to pay up to €10,000 ($11,150) for damage they cause” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Left · 1According to the Guardian, a person could be held liable even if they did not directly cause the damage, if they were continuing to demonstrate nearby or were part of the same group as the perpetrators; the bill also provides for greater use of drones over protests. The GuardianLC “if they were continuing to demonstrate nearby or as part of the same group as perpetrators. The bill also provides for greater use of drones over protests.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Right · 1Reuters, carried by the Straits Times, reports that the text says anyone who knowingly formed part of a group would be jointly responsible for damage caused by any member, and that it would allow the state to seize welfare entitlements of those convicted, or of their parents if they are minors. The Straits TimesRC “The text states that anyone who knowingly formed part of a group of people would be held jointly responsible for any damage caused by any member of that group.”“It further allows the state to seize welfare entitlements of those convicted, or those of their parents if they are minors, to help pay the costs.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Left · 1The bill is being debated in parliament this week, with the Senate taking it up; the Guardian says it was originally prepared after violent clashes following Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League win over Arsenal in May. The GuardianLC “The senate will this week debate the government’s proposed “vandals pay” law.”“originally prepared in the wake of violent clashes after Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Arsenal in the football Champions League in May” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2It comes amid more than a month of protests, begun by high-school students blockading schools over teacher absences, building repairs and the university applications platform, which trade unions and yellow vest protesters have since joined, and after looting, fires and vandalism on 17 October, described as among France's worst unrest in years. The GuardianLC “The French president, who leaves office next spring, has faced more than a month of protests in which high-school students have blockaded schools” Read at The Guardian ↗ The Straits TimesRC “such as the looting and rioting seen across the country on October 17” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called the bill "absolutely essential" after the looting and burning, and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who offered to resign last week after security forces were overwhelmed but was asked by Macron to stay, said it creates "a joint responsibility - not a collective one". The GuardianLC “was “absolutely essential” after looting and burning during recent demonstrations across France” Read at The Guardian ↗ The Straits TimesRC “"What this draft law changes is that we are creating a joint responsibility - not a collective one,"” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 1The government says the law is needed to compensate victims of vandalism, and French businesses say they have lost millions of euros to looting, vandalism or closures; Reuters adds that backers cite surveys showing broad public support. The Straits TimesRC “French businesses and retailers say they have lost millions of euros either through looting or vandalism or by being forced to shut their shops and board their windows during protests.”“Backers of the proposed new law point to surveys showing broad public support for it.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2Opponents include leftwing trade unions and the Human Rights League (LDH), who in a Le Monde open letter called it an "unfair law" and a "serious attack on the freedom to demonstrate" that should be abandoned, as well as La France Insoumise's Éric Coquerel, Communist senator Fabien Gay and lawyer Hanna Bouchareb, who said legitimate protesters near violence could be held responsible. The GuardianLC “This unfair law, which is a serious attack on the freedom to demonstrate, should be abandoned, or risk a major step back for the rule of law.” Read at The Guardian ↗ The Straits TimesRC “legitimate protesters who happened to be close to the scene of any violence could also be deemed legally responsible for it and face prosecution” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2Marine Le Pen's National Rally, the far-right frontrunner for next spring's presidential election, claims the idea as its own; Le Pen vowed at an Orléans rally that "Vandals will pay", while RN senator Edwige Diaz said the law should go further than the €10,000 cap. The GuardianLC “The RN has claimed the “vandals pay” bill was originally its idea” Read at The Guardian ↗ The Straits TimesRC “"But not with a cap at 10,000 euros."” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Left · 1The Guardian also reports that authorities have restricted demonstrations, including bans on non-union protests deemed "illegitimate", on gatherings outside schools and in city centres, curfews in places and longer police custody, without a state of emergency; public law professor Serge Slama called the decrees "unprecedented" and said they would benefit the far right if it won power. The GuardianLC “Although Macron has not put in place a state of emergency, the government and local authorities have introduced limits on demonstrating”“He said this was “unprecedented” and would benefit the far right if they won elections next year” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Reuters notes that protesters have accused police of heavy-handed tactics against student protesters, and that lawyers have raised legal concerns over fast-tracked convictions of alleged rioters; Lecornu was due to meet representatives of protesting high-schoolers on Monday. The Straits TimesRC “protesters have again accused police of heavy-handed tactics against the student protesters” Read at The Straits Times ↗ The GuardianLC “Lecornu will meet representatives of protesting high-schoolers on Monday” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Guardian leads on the threat to the right to protest, casting the bill as a Macron-government move that unions say curbs a fundamental right and could help the far right.
- Emphasis
- Union and left-wing opposition, the wider crackdown on demonstrations, Le Pen's campaign launch and the RN's claim to authorship of the idea.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not report Interior Minister Nunez's 'joint, not collective' defence, the welfare-seizure provision or public-support surveys.
- Charged language
- “vandals pay”“puts right to protest at risk”“innocent protesters”
- For example
-
“Making innocent protesters liable for damage would be bad for rule of law and play into far-right hands, say opponents” — The Guardian
“Emmanuel Macron has been accused by trade unions of trying to curb the fundamental French right to protest” — The Guardian
Centre1 outlet
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The Straits Times runs Reuters copy that leads on the backlash from rights groups and lawyers, but gives the government's rationale and Nunez's rebuttal and notes the bill's popularity.
- Emphasis
- Legal wording of joint responsibility, business losses, welfare seizure, poll support and the RN wanting a higher cap.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the drone provision, Lecornu's statement, or the broader protest bans and curfews. This is wire copy, so it is the agency's framing rather than the outlet's own.
- Charged language
- “anti-democratic”“rioters”
- For example
-
“Critics attack 'anti-democratic' French bill making rioters pay” — The Straits Times
“Backers of the proposed new law point to surveys showing broad public support for it.” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- The government is fast-tracking a bill making people liable for up to €10,000 for protest-related damage.
- It is being debated in parliament this week.
- Unions and the Human Rights League oppose it in a Le Monde letter.
- Marine Le Pen's National Rally backs the idea and is the frontrunner for next spring's presidential election.
- The bill follows looting and vandalism during protests across France.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the bill breaches the principle that people answer only for their own acts
- Left
- Opponents say people could pay for vandalism they did not commit, ending street demonstrations.
- Right
- Interior Minister Nunez says it creates joint, not collective, responsibility; critics reject the distinction.
-
Who the law targets
- Left
- Describes it as making 'innocent protesters' liable even if they did not cause damage.
- Right
- Describes it as making rioters pay, while noting critics' fear that peaceful protesters nearby could be caught.
Emmanuel Macron person
Macron's government fast-tracks the bill, saying it is needed to compensate victims of vandalism; he faces criticism from unions over restrictions on protest.
“Emmanuel Macron has been accused by trade unions of trying to curb the fundamental French right to protest” — The Guardian
“says the law is needed to compensate victims of the vandalism that often follows protests” — The Straits Times
France place
France is in a social crisis with school blockades, unrest on 17 October and new limits on demonstrating, while parliament debates the bill this week.
“The senate will this week debate the government’s proposed “vandals pay” law.” — The Guardian
“being debated in parliament this week” — The Straits Times
Left1 article
-
Macron’s ‘vandals pay’ bill puts right to protest at risk
Critical Presents the bill as a threat to the right to protest and a gift to the far right, mostly through opponents' voices.
Centre1 article
Right1 article
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The Straits TimesRC · · via Reuters
Critics attack 'anti-democratic' French bill making rioters pay
Mixed Reuters wire copy balancing critics' legal objections with the government's compensation rationale and public support.
- 25 Oct 19:57 First The GuardianLC Macron’s ‘vandals pay’ bill puts right to protest at risk
- 27 Oct 14:13 +42h 16m France 24N France's Senate takes on the 'rioters pay' bill after protests
- 27 Oct 14:41 +42h 43m The Straits TimesRC Critics attack 'anti-democratic' French bill making rioters pay via Reuters
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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