World

France Considers Seizing Family Benefits to Cover Riot Damage

By Bhanu Pratap

France has approved a proposal that would allow authorities to recover riot‑related compensation from family benefits, including housing assistance, after last month’s cost‑of‑living protests turned into some of the country’s worst riots in years. The damage was estimated at more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion), with thousands of shops looted or damaged and fires destroying public property, the Associated Press reported. The Senate passed the measure by 229 votes to 105 less than two weeks after the unrest. The legislation would make not only those directly involved in violence but also certain members of a rioting group financially liable for damage caused by others. People who knowingly join a group preparing to commit violence could face liability of up to €10,000 for damage caused by members of that group, and the provision could also apply to individuals who remain with a violent crowd after police order it to disperse, with liability extending to damage caused afterwards. The proposal expands the sources from which authorities can recover compensation. French law already makes parents liable for damage caused by their children under 18, and the scale of the losses in France has strengthened that argument. During the 2023 riots, insurers paid out €793 million across 16,400 claims, according to France Assureurs, the country’s insurance federation. Human rights organisations have warned that the proposed law could punish people who did not personally commit acts of violence. Nathalie Godard of Amnesty International France warned that seizing social benefits could have serious consequences for some of the country’s poorest families. The legislation received support from the far right in the conservative‑led Senate and must now pass through the National Assembly, where no political bloc holds a majority. The proposal also reflects a longstanding demand of Marine Le Pen, leader of the far‑right National Rally party, who has advocated making rioters financially responsible through the seizure of benefits. The government has now taken up a similar approach, the AP report said. European authorities are also increasingly concerned about the role of social media in mobilising crowds and spreading calls for violent demonstrations. A protest tactic popular among French students, known as a blocus or school blockade, has travelled across borders and appeared in online campaigns in Spain. In Barcelona, social media posts using the hashtag called people to gather at Catalonia Square on October 24. QR codes circulating online reportedly directed users to WhatsApp and Telegram channels. Catalonia’s interior chief, Núria Parlon, described the online mobilisation in an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena SER, according to AP. As European governments grapple with the costs of unrest, the debate is increasingly shifting from how to control riots to who should ultimately pay for them.