Who pays for a $1B riot? Europe looks past rioters to their parents and the apps in their pockets

PARIS — In France, the bill for a riot could soon be paid from a family’s housing aid. Some people in a violent crowd could be made to pay for windows they never broke.

France’s Senate approved the measure 229-105 this week, less than two weeks after cost-of-living protests spiraled into the country’s worst unrest in years, leading to estimated damage of over 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion). In one weekend, police arrested nearly 2,400 people; authorities say thousands of shops were looted or damaged. Fire gutted Limoges’ 19th-century city hall.

France is not alone: Across Western Europe, governments are reaching past the rioters — to their parents, and to the apps that carry the call to the streets.

And it may not be over. Spanish fact-checker Maldita.es has found calls for Halloween protests in 46 cities in at least nine European countries. Some urge looting.

Officials say the aim is to prevent the next riot and pay for the last. Critics warn that widening responsibility could punish people who committed no violence and make others afraid to protest.

In France, anyone who knowingly joins a group preparing violence could be made to pay up to 10,000 euros ($11,200) for…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world