On September 20 (local time), according to AFP, a large-scale wave of protests erupted strongly in Paris and many cities across France when thousands of people simultaneously took to the streets to protest against the bill on the use of force by law enforcement forces.
The most controversial content is the default clause that considers the acts of shooting or using force by police and gendarms as legitimate self-defense, causing protesters and social organizations to compare this to entrusting the legalization of shooting to public forces.
The draft law was passed by the French House of Representatives in July 2026 and is about to be put to a vote in the Senate.
In Paris on September 20, many opposition MPs, legal representatives and civil rights organizations joined the protest flow.
Speaking to the crowd, female MP Mathilde Panot of the Indomitable France (LFI) party harshly criticized the bill, called on the Senate to vote rejection and emphasized that the law cannot condone the right to immunity or create a part of citizens with the right to life and death against others.
Legal experts fear that the new regulation will reverse the obligation to prove and worsen police violence.
Previously, in July 2026, the petition attracting more than 730,000 signatures protesting the bill was rejected by the Legal Committee of the French Parliament.
The wave of marches also took place massively in many major cities last weekend. Security agencies recorded 4,500 protesters in Lyon and 3,700 in Toulouse, while marches in Marseille and Rennes were also tense.
Faced with complicated developments, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on September 19 asked the police force to maintain the highest level of vigilance to prevent the risk of riots. In Rennes city, authorities said that at least 8 people were arrested and 3 policemen were injured after extremists threw objects at functional forces.
