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From ... in Surveillance Protest Censorship Political Research Managed Decline —

Rule of Law Backsliding in France

On December 9, CIVICUS Monitor, a nongovernmental group assessing civic freedoms globally, downgraded France’s civic space from “narrowed” to “obstructed.” The downgrade is the result of years of attacks on civic space, marked by “escalatin

Rule of Law Backsliding in France

On December 9, CIVICUS Monitor, a nongovernmental group assessing civic freedoms globally, downgraded France’s civic space from “narrowed” to “obstructed.” The downgrade is the result of years of attacks on civic space, marked by “escalating police violence, surveillance practices, and arrests of protesters, targeting of journalists, and persistent restrictions on fundamental rights,” according to CIVICUS.

The French government is also increasingly using heavy-handed administrative measures to silence legitimate dissent, a trend I can confirm myself based on my work at Human Rights Watch, focusing on restrictions on civil society.

The 2021 “separatism law” gives the government broad powers to shut down nongovernmental groups by ministerial decree, and obliges organizations to sign a “Contract of Republican Engagement” with vague requirements (for example, “refrain from any action that undermines public order”) as a condition for public funds and other benefits from the state.

The loose language of the “contract” gives the authorities a wide margin for interpretation, fostering arbitrary decisions to sanction civic organizations. Both tools have created a climate of pressure and self-censorship among civil society. Another key factor that led to the downgrade is law enforcement’s abuse of peaceful protesters. For years, nongovernmental organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have documented police use of excessive force during protests, including the use of dangerous crowd control weapons.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture, in its May 2025 concluding observations on France, expressed deep concern over numerous allegations of excessive use of force, including lethal force, and ill-treatment by law enforcement officers, noting that these abuses disproportionately affect minority groups. Groups working on Palestine solidarity have also faced restrictions, according to CIVICUS.

The French government should urgently take note of this downgrade, as well as serious concerns raised by rights bodies,and restore respect for civic space in line with its international and EU fundamental rights obligations, and under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The European Commission, as the guardian of EU treaties, should use its annual Rule of Law report to issue strong recommendations to address the rule of law backsliding in France. Human rights groups and other civil society organizations should be able to exercise the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly without fear of arbitrary retaliation.

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