A debate on the protests in France, Italy and Belgium

When approving the agenda, political groups may propose amendments to it. If they cannot agree on an amendment, the plenary decides by a vote. That is what happened here too. Four groups wanted to include a debate on the protests in France, Italy and Belgium, each under a different title and with a different focus, and the Chair put all four motions to the vote in succession. The decision concerned only whether the debate would take place and under what title, not the position on the protests.

The only motion to be adopted was the one jointly tabled by the EPP and the ECR, with 282 votes in favour, 161 against and 6 abstentions. Those voting in favour were the EPP (114 MEPs) and Renew (50 in favour, 1 against), along with the far-right groups ECR (33), PfE (60 in favour, 1 against) and ESN (12). Voting against were the S&D (87 against, 1 in favour, 2 abstentions), the Greens/EFA (37 against, 3 abstentions) and The Left (30). The EPP therefore voted alongside the ECR, PfE and ESN. Their votes were not decisive: even without the 105 votes in favour from the ECR, PfE and ESN, the motion would have passed by a margin of 177 to 161.

The debate took place on the same day under the title proposed by the EPP and ECR: ‘France, Italy and Belgium: the latest anti-democratic violence by radical far-left groups, the impact on public order and the legitimate right to protest’. This title was formulated by the proposers; Parliament did not adopt it as its own finding. The debate concluded without a resolution, and no text was adopted in relation to it.

The S&D proposed a debate on ‘Young people and the cost-of-living crisis in France in the context of the recent protests: balancing the political response, freedom of protest and respect for public order’. The motion was rejected by 166 votes to 281, with 1 abstention. It was supported by the S&D (91), the Greens/EFA (40) and The Left (29). The EPP (114) and Renew (50) voted against, alongside the ECR (33), PfE (61) and ESN (12).

The Left had called for a debate on “the French government’s responsibility for failing to guarantee the right to protest and for using the police to discredit the legitimate demands of the protesters”. The motion was rejected by 64 votes to 369, with 11 abstentions. Of the four groups in the pro-European majority, only the Greens/EFA supported it, and even then only partially: 24 MEPs voted in favour, 2 against and 10 abstained. The EPP (114), S&D (87 against, 1 in favour) and Renew (53) were against, as were the ECR, PfE and ESN.

PfE proposed a debate on “renewed unrest and violence incited by the far left and the need to protect European citizens and heritage”. The motion was rejected by 115 votes to 317, with 12 abstentions. It was supported only by the ECR (33), PfE (60) and ESN (11). The EPP (103 against, 2 in favour, 6 abstentions), S&D (87), Renew (52) and Greens/EFA (40) were against, as was The Left (30).

The EPP and Renew supported only the motions tabled by the EPP and the ECR. The S&D supported only its own motion. The Greens/EFA supported the S&D’s motion and, by a majority, also the motion tabled by The Left. The pro-European majority thus agreed only on rejecting the PfE’s motion. They were split down the middle on the title under which the debate on the protests should take place: the EPP and Renew on one side, and the S&D and Greens/EFA on the other.