Macron MP Exits Party Amid Rising Concerns Over French Anti-Hooligan Bill, Reports Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) – A lawmaker announced plans to leave French President Emmanuel Macron’s governing party following a record number of abstentions from a vote on a bill intended to address violent protests.

On Tuesday, fifty lawmakers from Macron’s Republic On The Move (LREM) abstained in the vote at the National Assembly, marking the highest rate of abstentions since Macron took office in 2017. Despite the bill passing with Macron’s substantial majority, the significant abstention indicates rising discontent within the party regarding the government’s shift towards more right-leaning policies amid three months of protests from the grassroots “yellow vest” movement.

Matthieu Orphelin, a former member of the Green party who opted to abstain, informed his LREM colleagues of his decision to leave the party, although no specific reason for his departure was provided.

The presidential party’s representation in the lower house now stands at 306 lawmakers, still exceeding the 289 required for an outright majority. Since 2017, four other members have either departed or been expelled from LREM.

The controversial “anti-casseurs” (anti-hooligan) law prohibits protesters from concealing their faces, grants increased police powers to remove potential troublemakers from demonstrations, and allows local authorities to ban individual protesters from events. Opponents, particularly among center-left leaders, have criticized the legislation as a violation of civil liberties and the right to protest.

The French interior minister stated that the government would consider the concerns of lawmakers ahead of the bill’s second reading in the Senate, while maintaining that the legislation does not infringe upon civil liberties.

During earlier protests in Paris, rioters engaged in widespread vandalism, setting cars on fire, damaging luxury boutiques, and desecrating the Arc de Triomphe.