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Court overturns ban on demonstrations in NRW on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Eve: demonstration in Stuttgart is dissolved
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No gap, no masks: a demonstration in Stuttgart on New Year’s Eve that was broken up by the police
Source: dpa / Christoph Schmidt
On New Year’s Eve, the Münster High Administrative Court overturned the two-day ban on demonstrations. The state government feared that the protests could be misused. The police broke up a demonstration in Stuttgart.
reThe Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia temporarily lifted a state-imposed demonstration ban for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry confirmed a corresponding decision by the Münster court on Thursday. There was no confirmation from the court on New Year’s Eve. The WDR had previously reported.
The state government had in the Crown Protection Ordinance for December 31st. and 1.1. Demonstrations are strictly prohibited. Behind this was concern that recorded gatherings could be abused to circumvent the ban on New Years celebrations. The judges considered this regulation to be illegal and disproportionate: the authorities could guarantee protection against infection even without the general ban on meetings.
Therefore, the country’s police stations were informed about the new legal situation shortly before the turn of the year, confirmed the ministry spokesperson. If demonstrations were registered on short notice, the police, as the supervisory authority, would monitor them accordingly.
Police noted late at night that New Year’s Eve parties and crowds were still banned. The violations would be prosecuted. The court only allowed recorded meetings with the police, that is, demonstrations.
The dissolution in Stuttgart caused “strong discontent”
In Stuttgart, some people demonstrated against the crown’s policy on New Year’s Eve and violated the requirements. A meeting at Karlsplatz broke up because some 100 participants did not maintain minimum distances and ignored the requirement to wear masks, as a police spokeswoman said. The dissolution caused a “strong disgust”, as a reaction a spontaneous meeting was formed with around 100 participants. This was also resolved at Charlottenplatz in consultation with the city of Stuttgart when many participants refused to wear mouth and nose protection.
In the evening, officials reviewed participants who stated they were exempt from the mask requirement with a medical certificate. Otherwise, there were initially no major incidents, the spokeswoman said.
Several organizers had recorded various activities with 50 to 100 participants each in the city center. Among other things, it should be about “a New Year’s Eve without Corona measures” and “dying gastronomy.” The city had allowed the demonstrations because the Crown ordinance of the state of Baden-Württemberg expressly mentions such gatherings as a supposedly valid reason why an exception to the night-out restriction can be made.
In addition to a meeting with around 100 participants at Wilhelmsplatz, around 150 people demonstrated against the crown’s measures in the palace garden, according to police. Another demonstration is expected at Karlsplatz late at night.
Note: The article title was specified with the word “Demonstration ban”. Before it had been called “without assembly”.
