Coulomme says the proposed presumption threatens the rule of law
Jean-François CoulommeJean-Francois Coulomme, National Assembly member, speaking to the Law Committee
Coulomme opposes the proposed presumption and calls for deletion of the provision. He argues that police should remain subject to the ordinary rules governing self-defense.
“Le risque de ce texte, c’est de basculer dans la négation de l’État de droit.”
Original text
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Where this statement fits
Should France presume police and gendarmes acted lawfully when using firearms?
A bill filed by French lawmaker Éric Pauget and rewritten by the government would create a rebuttable presumption that national police officers and gendarmes who use firearms acted within an authorized statutory circumstance and complied with requirements of absolute necessity and strict proportionality. The National Assembly adopted the text on July 7, 2026, and sent it to the Senate. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and police-union supporters say the measure would protect officers without ending judicial review; the Defender of Rights, a UN special rapporteur and human-rights groups argue that it could weaken investigations, victims’ remedies and accountability for lethal force.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
The report records speakers' own arguments and the committee's deletion of the sole article. The Assembly later passed an amended text.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Coulomme speaks in support of an amendment deleting the bill's sole article.
After the quotation
He says policing should serve everyone and warns against placing officers above the rules that apply to other citizens.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Coulomme explicitly criticizes the proposal and seeks to remove it.
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More from this case
Read the full caseNuñez rejects the claim that the firearms bill creates a license to kill
“What we are creating is a simple presumption, which can be overturned very quickly, as the text provides. So stop saying everywhere that we have created a license to kill! (Translated from French. Original: Ce que nous créons est une simple présomption, qui peut être renversée très rapidement, ce que le texte prévoit. Arrêtez donc de dire partout que nous aurions créé un permis de tuer !)”Read statement
LDH says the police firearm presumption would obstruct investigations of shootings
Ligue des droits de l'Homme
“Yet establishing a presumption that shootings are lawful would amount to accepting from the outset that the use of the weapon was lawful, and therefore to slowing down, or even preventing, investigations, with the possible consequence that unjustified uses escape any sanction. As a result, victims would be deprived of any hope that the truth would come out, and all the current failings would be legitimized. (Translated from French. Original: Or l’instauration d’une présomption de légalité des tirs reviendrait à admettre d’emblée la conformité de l’usage de l’arme et donc de freiner, voire d’empêcher, la réalisation d’investigations, avec pour conséquence possible que des utilisations injustifiées échappent à toute sanction. Dès lors, les victimes seraient privées de toute espérance quant à la manifestation de la vérité et tous les dysfonctionnements actuels seraient légitimés.)”Read statement
Stéphane Peu opposes France's firearm-use presumption
“an inequality before the law (Translated from French. Original: une inégalité devant la loi)”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Coulomme says the proposed presumption threatens the rule of law". First published: 2026-10-29. Last updated: 2026-10-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/7210-coulomme-opposes-the-proposed-presumption-and-calls-for