Paris, France. French lawmakers have approved a proposed law that would presume police officers involved in fatal shootings acted within the law unless there was proof to the contrary. The bill, backed by the government, passed the National Assembly on Tuesday evening and now awaits a vote in the upper house.
Parliamentary approval
The proposed law was approved in the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, by 313 votes to 199. The measure has been described by critics as a “licence to kill” and has been a longstanding demand of the far right.
What the bill would change
Under the proposal, officers who killed someone by shooting would be presumed to have acted within the limits of the law unless evidence showed otherwise. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the law was intended to protect police officers working in dangerous conditions.
Defending the proposal in parliament, Nunez said: “it does not lead to penal irresponsibility — at any moment, if the circumstances are reunited, any prosecutor can reverse this presumption”.
Criticism from rights groups and lawmakers
Critics say the measure would lead to more killings and make it harder for victims’ families to obtain justice. Marie-Laure Geoffray of Amnesty International said the law would slow investigations into police violence and shift the burden of proof onto victims’ families.
Left-wing lawmaker Pouria Amirshahi said: “There will be more deaths — if you authorise someone to use their firearm with the idea that they won’t be accountable, then they will just shoot. This law grants police impunity.”
Police shooting figures
Fatal police shootings in France are among the highest in Europe and have been rising. The IGPN and IGGN, the agencies that investigate police conduct in France, recorded 69 people killed by police or gendarmerie officers in 2024, compared with 49 in 2023 and 50 in 2022.
Broader context
The French government has faced pressure from activists and the public over repeated allegations of police violence and harassment, largely involving Black and Arab men and boys. Some cases, including the killing of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in 2023, triggered nationwide riots.
A 2017 law broadened the situations in which police officers could use firearms to include cases where they were unable to stop a vehicle. Academics found that the change led to a fivefold increase in fatal police shootings involving moving vehicles.