A permanent pro-Palestinian protest camp can again be held on a green space near the Federal Chancellery, following a ruling by the Berlin Administrative Court. The court’s decision, reached in an expedited legal proceeding, stipulates that the camp must adhere to “significant provisions” regarding noise protection.
Since June 15th, a continuous camp had been established on a green area in front of the Federal Chancellery, registered as a public assembly. Following repeated instances of the participants generating significant noise, Berlin police had ordered the relocation of the assembly to a section of Washingtonplatz, near Berlin’s main railway station, on July 14th.
The participants initially complied with this order. However, a petition submitted on the same day was partially successful. While the Administrative Court’s 1st Chamber concurred with the police’s assessment that a substantial risk existed, stemming from noise emissions impacting the Federal Chancellery, they determined that relocating the assembly was not a necessary measure to mitigate this risk.
The court reasoned that less restrictive measures, specifically noise regulations imposed on the assembly, would have sufficed. Consequently, the court reinstated the suspensive effect of the appeal, while simultaneously prohibiting the continued use of any devices intended to generate or amplify sound, specifically mentioning loudspeakers, percussion instruments and megaphones.
Berlin police have already filed an appeal against this decision with the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg. (Decision of the 1st Chamber dated July 16, 2024 – VG 1 L 634/25).