UN experts warned Tuesday that proposed French legislation to target antisemitism, dubbed the PPL Yadan Bill, could jeopardize freedom of expression.

The experts stated: “Criminal law should not suppress different views about current or past events, however inaccurate, unpopular, or shocking, unless such expression is intended to incite violence and is objectively likely to do so.” They argued that democracy requires public debate and that social space for such should not be limited.

The bill, named after French Member of Parliament Caroline Yadan, appears to target speech regarding Israel, though the bill itself does not name Israel. The bill seeks to expand criminal penalties for various types of speech, including implicitly inciting terrorism, “‘excessively trivializing’ Holocaust crimes” or “terrorist acts,” and calling for the destruction of a country that France recognizes. French law currently prohibits only the direct incitement of terrorism but does not penalize the other types of statements.

Yadan stated that her goal was to “eradicate antisemitism.” The UN experts recognized that combatting antisemitism is an “important objective,” but argued that the law is over-broad by effectively penalizing criticism of Israel. Palestinian organizations have criticized the legislation, with Association France Palestine Solidarité calling it “an attack on the freedom to criticize Israeli policy.” Yadan insisted, however, that “calling for the destruction of a country is also calling for the annihilation of a people.” 

International law guarantees the right to freedom of expression under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This covenant, to which France is a party, declares that “[e]veryone shall have the right to freedom of expression.”

The bill comes against the backdrop of increasing tensions over the Israel-Palestine conflict in France. Yadan quit her position in President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party over his recognition of the state of Palestine. Meanwhile, the French government reported that a majority of anti-religious acts in 2025 were antisemitic, though the raw number saw a decrease from 2024.