The_Courts

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-france-student-protests-macron-yellow-vest/

Copilot:

France; could the courts revoque a ban on protests ordered by the government?

Yes. In France, a government authority (usually a prefect, police prefect, or mayor) can ban a specific demonstration on public-order grounds, but that decision is subject to review by the administrative courts. If a court finds the ban is not justified, it can suspend or overturn it

France treats freedom of assembly and demonstration as an important liberty. Authorities may restrict a protest when they can show a serious risk to public order, safety, or security, but the restriction must be necessary and proportionate. A blanket or poorly justified ban is vulnerable to being struck down by the courts.

In fact, there was a recent example in Paris where police banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration, but an administrative court suspended the ban and allowed the rally to proceed, ruling that the authorities had not sufficiently demonstrated a threat to public order.

So if the French government were to ban protests, the courts would not simply defer automatically. The administrative judiciary would examine:

whether there was evidence of a genuine public-order risk,

whether less restrictive measures were available,

and whether the ban was proportionate to the threat.

In short: yes, French courts can and do revoke protest bans when they consider them unjustified.

The article you have open about the police union's lawsuit seems related to the handling of recent unrest. If you'd like, I can also explain the balance of powers between the French government, prefects, and administrative courts during periods of civil disorder.