A pro-Palestinian protest camp, established as a continuous assembly, will once again be permitted on a green space adjacent to the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. This decision, delivered by the Berlin Administrative Court in an expedited legal proceeding, stipulates significant restrictions regarding noise levels.
The assembly, running continuously since June 15th, has been situated on a public green space directly in front of the Chancellery. Following concerns over noise and disruptive activity, Berlin police had previously ordered the camp’s relocation to a designated area within the Washingtonplatz, located near Berlin’s central railway station on July 14th.
While the court acknowledged the police’s assessment of a substantial risk, stemming from noise emanating from the camp impacting the operation of the Chancellery, it ruled that relocating the assembly was not a necessary measure to mitigate this risk. The court stated that imposing noise restrictions would constitute a less restrictive alternative.
Consequently, the court reinstated the suspension of the relocation order, while simultaneously prohibiting the use of any devices intended to generate or amplify sound, specifically including loudspeakers, percussion instruments and megaphones.
The Berlin Police have lodged an appeal against this decision with the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court. (Decision of Chamber 1, July 16, 2024 – VG 1 L 634/25).
