Protests continue in Paris as controversial security bill passes

01:45

France's controversial security bill passed through parliament on Tuesday as protests against the law continued nationwide.

It passed with an overwhelming majority, with 388 votes for and 104 against.

The bill will forbid anyone to publish images of police officers with the intent to cause harm – those who do will be subject to a $53,450 penalty and could serve a one-year jail sentence if convicted.

French lawmaker Eric Diard told parliament the bill was not to infringe on journalists' right to report, despite the backlash.

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Moreover, Diard said is was designed "to prevent the publication of elements that would identify police officers in the intentional purpose of hurting them."

He added: "Of course, it is essential for us to be able to film police officers, that's the case, and that will remain that way because it is in no way the goal of this text to prohibit this."

However, both activists and French lawmakers condemned the law, citing public freedoms and the ability to check abuses of power as reasons to vote against the contentious bill.

Clashes broke out on Monday after French police forcibly dismantled a migrant camp in central Paris. /AFP

Meriem Ghenim, from the Union of French Lawyers, said that they see the new law as a threat to the freedom to inform, which will affect both journalists and lawyers to hold power to account.

She said: "[It] will allow an authoritarian drift, where the police will be able to do what they want without any control."

President Macron has been losing public approval since he came into power in 2018 when he reportedly had 60% favourability rating.

Paul Molac, a lawmaker who campaigned against the bill, said in a statement in parliament: "What you're proposing with Article 24 … will be completely inefficient to protect [the] police and is truly dangerous for our fundamental liberties. This will pose multiple constitutional problems."

There have been nationwide protests against the bill and more recently against the "brutal" forced removal of migrants at the capital's Place de la Republique.

With activists and ministers both referring to images taken of the evacuation as evidence to critique the bill, which would have meant these images were illegal.

The bill is set to be voted on in the French senate in January.

Video editor: David Bamford

Source(s): AP ,Reuters