Backed by the right and centre after the October 17 violence, the proposal would widen who can be made to pay and which benefits can be seized. It now goes to the National Assembly.
France’s Senate approved an expanded protest-damage bill by 229 votes to 105 overnight on October 27–28, 2026. Backed by its right-wing and centrist majority, the text would let the state seek up to €10,000 per person under a new joint-liability regime and recover damages from more welfare benefits. Those measures remain proposals, not rules in force.
The bill began as a response to unrest after Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League football victory in May. After the October 17 protests over inequality and rising prices, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said responding to the damage and chaos was urgent. France 24 said thousands of businesses across the country were damaged and looted during that violence.
Since 2019, the state has been able to seek repayment from people responsible for damage, as Public Sénat explained. The bill would broaden that recovery mechanism: qualifying participants could share civil responsibility—the duty to pay compensation—even without proof that they personally caused the damage.
The proposed rules cover people who knowingly joined a group formed to commit violence or vandalism. They would also cover people who voluntarily remained in a gathering likely to disrupt public order after two police dispersal warnings. The €10,000 ceiling applies to each person, not to the group as a whole.
The Senate version protects people who remain after warnings for a legitimate reason, including independent observers documenting police practices and volunteer first-aiders known as street medics. Senators rejected a government amendment that would have restricted this exemption to professional journalists.
The agency cites France’s economic strength but warns that political divisions could obstruct deficit cuts as the government seeks approval for its 2027 budget.
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Article 4 would allow monthly deductions from part of family allowances and personal housing assistance to recover damages owed following a court judgment. Senators extended the mechanism to the active solidarity income, a welfare benefit known as RSA.
France 24 also said senators expanded the benefits covered to include the family supplement, back-to-school allowance and employment bonus.
David Margueritte, one of the senators guiding the bill, defended making RSA available for recovery when a recipient responsible for damage cannot pay. He said the recipient would retain money to live on.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the bill aims to deter vandals and looters and improve compensation for victims. Centrist senator Olivier Bitz, who also helps guide the bill, said it should not incriminate passers-by or peaceful protesters. Defending recovery from benefits, Bitz said a shopkeeper’s family also bears the consequences when a business is wrecked. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen supports the legislation.
Communist senator Fabien Gay said the bill conflates protesters and rioters. Green senator Mélanie Vogel warned that people may not hear dispersal warnings or may be unable to leave because police have contained the crowd, yet could face liability. She said the bill identifies substitute payers rather than solving vandalism.
Trade unions and student groups warned that the measures would restrict freedom to demonstrate, disproportionately affect the poorest families and encourage arbitrary police action. Amnesty International urged the government to abandon the bill. Nathalie Godard of Amnesty International France warned that seizing family allowances, housing assistance and RSA could push already marginalised families further into poverty.
The bill has been sent to the National Assembly, which is divided between France’s political factions. That chamber must next debate and vote on the proposal.
The French grocer estimates riot damage will reduce operating income by €80 million–€200 million, prompting a lower forecast for fiscal 2026.
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City museums and private art institutions also plan to shut on Saturday, while the Cartier Foundation plans to remain closed for the whole weekend.
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