France’s Senate Debates Bill to Make Protesters Pay for Riot Damage

France’s Senate debated a bill on Tuesday that could make people deemed responsible for damage during protests pay up to 10,000 euros. First proposed after May riots following Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory, the bill returned to the spotlight after violence on October 17 amid demonstrations over inequality and rising living costs. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez urged action, while Marine Le Pen backed the measure and left-wing lawmakers, including Communist senator Fabien Gay, warned it threatened the right to demonstrate. The bill provides for joint liability for some participants and allows welfare or housing assistance to be seized; two motions by left-wing lawmakers to reject it were defeated.