France accelerates ‘casseurs-payeurs’ law amid student protests

The French government is accelerating a legislative proposal known as ‘casseurs-payeurs’ (breakers-payers) to hold individuals financially responsible for damages caused during violent protests. The bill is scheduled for examination by the Senate on October 27, 2026, in response to widespread student protests that have resulted in the closure of hundreds of schools and tens of millions of euros in property damage.

The proposed law introduces a regime of joint and several civil liability. It allows authorities to hold participants in a violent gathering accountable for damages, even if they did not personally commit the acts, provided they knowingly participated in a group that refused to disperse after police orders. Financial liability for individuals under this plan is capped at 10,000 euros.

To ensure the recovery of these funds, the government is considering direct deductions from social benefits, including housing subsidies and family allowances. While government spokespeople argue the measure prevents taxpayers from bearing the costs of minority violence, critics and opposition leaders have denounced the plan as a ‘presumption of guilt’ that could unfairly target demonstrators and suppress the right to protest.