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French Senate passes bill to make protesters pay for damage caused in unrest

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).

6 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Black smoke and fire at a French town hall during crowd unrest, people filming.
Image via CNBCHow images are chosenReport this image

France 24 and CNBC report that the French Senate has passed a bill making people liable for damage caused during protests, with fines of up to €10,000 and possible seizure of welfare benefits. The Guardian says the bill would hold people liable even if they did not directly cause the damage. The bill is part of the government’s response to weeks of demonstrations over schools and the cost of living, which have included looting, fires and vandalism. The Guardian reports that trade unions say the measure would curb the right to protest. France 24 reports that rights groups say it could undermine that right and that the government introduced it to curb looting and vandalism. Critics say some people may stay away from demonstrations for fear of being caught up in violence.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The French Senate has passed a bill that would make people liable for damage caused during protests, with fines of up to €10,000.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24, CNBC

  2. The bill would hold people liable for damage from unrest even if they did not directly cause it.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    France 24

  3. The bill would allow welfare benefits to be seized to cover damages.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24, CNBC

  4. The protests over schools and the cost of living have included looting, fires and vandalism.

    Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    France 24, CNBC

  5. Trade unions and rights groups say the bill could undermine the right to protest.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    France 24

  6. The government put forward the bill to curb looting and vandalism at the fringes of the protests.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The bill would make only those who cause damage pay.

    France 24 and CNBC describe it as making rioters pay; the Guardian and France 24 say it would apply to people in the same group even if they did not cause the damage, which opponents say would deter peaceful protesters.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that the bill would make protesters pay for damage from unrest, with fines up to €10,000, and that opponents say it threatens the right to protest. The main difference is emphasis: the left stresses union opposition and protest rights, while the center leads with the Senate vote and the ‘rioters pay’ label.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The Guardian’s headline frames the bill as a threat to the right to protest, putting Macron’s name and the ‘vandals pay’ label first; its coverage centers on trade union and rule-of-law objections.

    Macron’s ‘vandals pay’ bill puts right to protest at risk
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Headlines name the bill ‘rioters pay’ and lead with the Senate vote and fines, with rights-group criticism added in several; CNBC uses the same label and adds the dollar figure.

    French Senate backs 'make rioters pay' bill despite rights concern
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center3

    explosive add-onCritics have saidso-called

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    explosive add-onMore neutral: additional provision aimed at social media

    Calls a provision explosive without saying what it does.

    This draft law now has an explosive add-on aimed at social media.

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

  • Vague attribution

    Critics have saidMore neutral: Opponents of the bill, including rights groups, say

    Attributes the criticism to unnamed critics.

    Critics have said that a proposed French law that would make rioters liable to pay thousands of…

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

  • Delegitimizing label

    so-calledMore neutral: the bill known as

    Adds a label of doubt to the bill’s own name, which the article otherwise uses as its name.

    Under the so-called "Rioters Pay" bill, protesters could be ordered to pay up to 10,000 euros ($11,140)…

    Used byCNBC (Center)

Words quoted from someone else (2)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    innocent protestersMore neutral: protesters who did not cause the damage

    Calling the people affected innocent is a judgement the article attributes to opponents of the bill.

    Making innocent protesters liable for damage would be bad for rule of law and play into far-right hands,…

    Quoted byThe Guardian (Left)

    These are opponents of the bill’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Delegitimizing label

    Quoted

    anti-democraticMore neutral: that critics say restricts the right to protest

    Labels the bill anti-democratic in a headline, as a judgement attributed to rights groups rather than a finding.

    Rights groups say proposed French law to make rioters pay for damage is anti-democratic

    Quoted byFrance 24 (Center)

    These are rights groups’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • threat to the right to protest
  • trade union opposition
  • rule of law and far-right risk
  • Macron’s role
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Macron’s ‘vandals pay’ bill puts right to protest at risk

    Making Loaded modifier“innocent protesters”Calling the people affected innocent is a judgement the article attributes to opponents of the bill.More neutral: protesters who did not cause the damageThese are opponents of the bill’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight? liable for damage would be bad for rule of law and play into far-right hands, say opponents Emmanuel Macron has been accused by trade unions of trying to curb the fundamental French right to protest as the government fast-tracks a bill to make …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Senate vote on the bill
  • fines of up to €10,000
  • criticism from rights groups
  • looting and violence behind the bill

Leaves out

  • trade union opposition
  • warnings that the bill plays into far-right hands

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The Guardian, Oct 25, 3:57 PM EDT

  • Center

    1 day 18 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 10:13 AM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The GuardianLeftOct 25, 3:57 PM EDT
  2. France 24CenterOct 27, 10:13 AM EDT
  3. CNBCCenterOct 29, 5:14 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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