France’s proposed bill to make demonstrators pay for damage caused to property by acts of violence in street protests, even if they did not directly cause it themselves, will have a chilling effect on freedom of peaceful assembly and must be rejected by lawmakers, Amnesty International said ahead of a two-day debate in the Senate.

This bill threatens to further deter people from exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly

Nathalie Godard, Amnesty International France

If passed, the legislation commonly referred to as the “Rioters Pay” bill, could hold individuals liable for acts they did not personally commit, provided they ‘knowingly’ participated in a gathering where acts of violence, theft, destruction, or property damage took place. A protester could be liable to pay up to 10,000 euros; in addition, social benefits could be seized if compensation is not paid, which risks plunging already marginalised families further into poverty.…