In Paris, lawmakers are voting on a controversial bill that's intended to toughen France's asylum rules. Elena Casas reports.

The state is drowning the right to asylum, says this banner outside the French Senate. Volunteers have collected one lifejacket for every senator - and they'll donate them to the Aquarius after this protest. Europe's migration crisis sailed back into the headlines last week after Italy refused that rescue ship a port - but here in France, a row has been brewing for months over President Macron's tough new immigration law. Some of the protesters here spent weeks walking to Paris from the Italian border to raise awareness.

ALIOUNE TRAORE SENEGALESE MIGRANT "We're in the street today to say no to Macron and his abject policy, which does not reflect the values of the French Republic. With the Aquarius now, he's slammed the door in the face of migrants and that's not acceptable. He should respect the international conventions France has signed, the Geneva convention, and international law."

The law aims to increase deportations of failed asylum seekers from France - halving the time they have to appeal that decision - and increases the time they can be detained.

ELENA CASAS PARIS, FRANCE "The tough line of the bill Senators are discussing here contrasts sharply with some of President Macron's rhetoric - in the last week, he's called the Italian government irresponsible for not accepting the Aquarius, and then promised to help find a European solution."

EMMANUEL MACRON FRENCH PRESIDENT "The right response is a European one but the current European response doesn't work, and we haven't shown enough European solidarity, especially to Italy, in recent years."

That call for solidarity isn't being reflected in practice - France systematically refuses asylum seekers already registered in another EU country, returning ten thousand people to Italy thus far this year. European leaders meet in Brussels next week for a crunch summit to reform the system - meaning both Macron and Angela Merkel need to square Italy's demands for more help with domestic political pressure to take a hard line. Elena Casas, CGTN, Paris.