On 20 October 2026, Sophia Bidine was invited on FRANCE 24’s World View programme to discuss the judicial and administrative response to the riots of 17 October.
On the criminal side, she explained that everything first played out under urgency, before the comparution immédiate (fast-track trial) chambers. More than 500 people were due to be tried there within the week. This procedure was designed for simple cases that are ready for trial. In practice, defence counsel has a few hours to review two or three case files. That leaves too little time to check the lawfulness of the investigative acts and to gather the evidence the defence needs. The defendant’s consent is required. Refusing it means the case is adjourned for several weeks, often with pretrial detention in the meantime. The choice is therefore rarely entirely free, and the rights of the defence may be weakened as a result.
On the administrative side, the authorities considered that the curfews imposed by the prefects had an immediate effect and helped restore calm. Their renewal nonetheless calls for vigilance. An administrative police measure is lawful only if it remains proportionate to the threat, and its duration forms part of that review. On 21 October, the Paris Administrative Court ordered the Police Prefect to publish curfew orders at least 12 hours before they take effect, so that they can be challenged.
These hearings are taking place under international scrutiny, in the middle of a presidential campaign and after firm statements by the country’s leaders. Sophia Bidine recalled that a criminal judge convicts only on sufficient evidence, and that an administrative judge upholds a restriction of freedoms only if it is necessary, appropriate and proportionate. Justice is not an extension of politics. The separation of powers remains more essential than ever to the rule of law.
In her view, these events are a test for French institutions. The response is partly judicial. It will also have to be political, in the face of the demands raised by the protesters.