Mass protests erupt in France over Bill 691's police immunity provisions

Across France, from Paris to Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille, demonstrators joined ongoing strikes over schools, wages and firefighter resources to denounce Bill 691, a controversial police law that would create a legal presumption of legitimacy for officers who fire their weapons. The bill, already approved by the lower house, would require evidence to overturn that presumption, effectively moving the investigative burden onto victims, families and prosecutors.

Supporters, led by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, argue the change protects officers who must make life-or-death choices under pressure, while opponents—including Amnesty International, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions Morris Tidball-Binz, and numerous human-rights groups—assert it threatens accountability and deepens public mistrust. A petition opposing the measure has attracted hundreds of thousands of signatures, and critics point to Australia’s neutral investigative framework as a more balanced alternative. The bill now proceeds to the Senate, where its fate will further shape the debate over police authority and democratic legitimacy in France.