Parts of a contested new French immigration law go against the constitution and must be scrapped, France’s constitutional council has said.

The council, a body that validates the constitutionality of laws, on Thursday annulled about half of the articles in the law, which was passed in December, including restrictions on family reunifications and student residency permits, and making residing in France illegally a crime.

It upheld much of the bill initially presented by President Emmanuel Macron’s government, but censured contentious additions made under pressure from the right and far right.

Gérald Darmanin hailed the ruling. The interior minister wrote on X: “The constitutional council has approved all the government’s text.”

But Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, claimed the ruling was a “coup by the judges, with the backing of the president”. He called for a referendum on immigration.

The court dismissed 32 out of 86 amendments on the grounds they were not related to the subject of the law. They could, however, be accepted later as part of different legislation.

It also censured three more amendments partially or in full over their essence. It partially rejected the setting of immigration quotas by parliament.

Reuters and AFP contributed to this report.