French Senate approves controversial bill on fines for peaceful protest participants
The upper house of the French parliament has passed a bill introducing collective financial liability for participants in mass rallies.
The document was supported by 229 senators, while 105 voted against it. Under the new text, liability for any damage may also be imposed on peaceful demonstrators who did not directly take part in riots, and up to 10,000 euros may be recovered from offenders.
As the BFMTV television channel notes, during the discussion the senators further toughened the bill, which will now be sent to the National Assembly for consideration. The initiative has come under sharp criticism from left-wing forces: Senator Mélanie Vogel of the Ecologists party said that the bill makes scapegoats of peaceful demonstrators and contradicts the constitution, infringing on the freedom to take part in demonstrations. Protests in France have continued since mid-September, when high school students first took to the streets demanding improvements to the condition of schools, and were then joined by citizens from other regions unhappy with rising prices. The largest was the October 17 rally, which, according to the Interior Ministry, drew about 550,000 people, against whom law enforcement officers used tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannons.
Source: RIA Novosti
