French authority rejects pre-emptive 'yellow vest' protest bans

France's Constitutional Council on Thursday struck down a measure that would have let authorities ban certain individuals from protesting, a key element of the government's plan to crack down on violence at "yellow vest" demonstrations.

The council, which rules on the validity of laws, said the proposal gave officials "excessive latitude" to justify the individual bans against people suspected of being "a particularly serious threat to law and order."