French Senate passes 'casseurs-payeurs' bill after protest damage; Macron says government must be 'intraitable' ahead of 31 October marches

The French Senate adopted the government’s “casseurs-payeurs” (“breakers pay”) bill overnight into Wednesday 28 October by 229 votes to 105, BFMTV reported. The government presented the bill as a response to the damage caused on the margins of the 17 October protests. It now goes to the National Assembly.

The original text focused on making those who cause damage jointly liable for it and on seizing their social benefits. The right-leaning Senate broadened and toughened it with several public-order measures, BFMTV reported.

Mathilde Panot, who leads the France Unbowed (LFI) group in the National Assembly, told TF1 the bill was “a serious attack on the right to protest”. She said the state could already pursue those responsible for damage and that she opposed penalising their families.

Macron and the government

After Wednesday’s Council of Ministers, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said Macron had told ministers the state must be “intraitable” (uncompromising) towards “factieux” (seditious elements) and “délinquants” (offenders). A defence and national security council met at the Élysée the same morning to prepare for protests planned for the weekend, BFMTV reported. Bregeon said there was no reason to change the dates of the 2027 presidential election, 18 April and 2 May.

In the National Assembly, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the education measures the government announced on Monday “form a response to the expectations” of high-school students, at the start of a debate on the Parcoursup university admissions platform held without a vote. High-school and student organisations said the measures were not enough, kept their calls to march on Saturday 31 October, and are due to meet Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on Thursday, Ouest-France reported. As of about 5:00pm GMT Wednesday, the CGT union and the Paris police prefecture had not agreed a route for Saturday’s Paris march, according to BFMTV.

On the 2027 budget, Lecornu does not plan to use Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which passes a text without a vote, for now, Le Parisien reported, after National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet urged him to use it “in the coming days”.

For Monday’s measures and Saturday 24 October’s protest figures, see our earlier report. See also: Lecornu accuses left-wing MPs of ‘playing the RN’s game’ after walkout.