What is self-defense?
Verified 05 June 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister), Ministry of Justice
Self-defense is the authorization given by law from defend yourself, of protect someone or property, during an attack.
The means used in this defense are prohibited in another situation. It is the judiciary that checks whether the response used to defend itself is a case of self-defense.
For self-defense to exist, 5 conditions The following must be combined:
- The attack must be unjustified, i.e. without good cause
- The defense must be made for oneself or for another person
- The defense must be immediate, that is to say that the act of defense must take place in the time of the aggression
- The defense must be necessary for its protection, that is to say that the only solution is the response
- The defense must be proportional, i.e. equal to the severity of the attack.
In the case of a attack on property, the defense must be strictly proportional. Self-defense of property can never justify intentional homicide, that is, the death of a person.
FYI
Self-defense concerns all parties : author, co-author and accomplice.
Scenario | Self-defense? |
|---|---|
A gendarme uses his weapon to protect his colleague in danger of death | Yes |
To free their loved one from a hostile group, a person throws a bottle and hits one of their members in the head | Yes |
A person stabs after being insulted and without being a victim of violence | No |
A person punches a policeman during his arrest | No |
A person shoots a 1er shot in the air then a 2e towards the feet of 4 attackers armed with projectiles | Yes |
It is up to the person who invokes the state of self-defense of report the evidence.
Nevertheless, self-defense is presumed existing in the following cases
- At night, in an inhabited place, a person pushes away another person entered by burglary, violence or cunning
- A person fights against the theft or looting done with violence.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
For more information on this subject, you can contact Allô Service Public.
Please note: the service does not have access to users' personal files and therefore cannot provide information on their progress.
- Lundi : de 08h30 à 17h30
- Mardi : de 08h30 à 12h15
- Mercredi : de 08h30 à 12h15
- Jeudi : de 08h30 à 17h30
- Vendredi : de 13h00 à 16h15
- Service free
The informants who answer you belong to the Department of Justice.
This service allows victims of infringements (excluding damage to property on the internet) to be listened to and referred to a victim support association or a specialized service. It is accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people.
In metropolitan France
116,006
Free call
Service available every day of the year, from 9am to 8pm.
Outside metropolitan France (or from the foreigner)
+ 33 (0)1 80 52 33 76
Free call
Service reachable every day of the year, from 9am to 8pm (Paris time).
By email
By email: victimes@116006.fr
Definition of self-defense (Articles 122-5 and 122-6 of the Criminal Code)
Service Public
Service Public
Service Public
Service Public
Service Public