According to a decision by the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg, the AfD is not allowed to demonstrate on the Mannheim market square on Friday evening, where a police officer was stabbed a week earlier. On Friday, the highest administrative court in the southwest upheld an appeal by the city of Mannheim against a decision by the Administrative Court of Karlsruhe, which had given the green light for the demonstration at the crime scene. The demonstration is planned for 6 p.m. and could now take place on the nearby Paradeplatz. At the same time, there will be a counter-demonstration by Antifa. According to the court, the VGH’s decision is final.
A week earlier, a 25-year-old Afghan had injured five participants in a rally by the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa and a police officer with a knife. The 29-year-old officer Rouven Laur later succumbed to his injuries. According to regional leader Markus Frohnmaier, the AfD wants to demonstrate two days before the European elections “exactly where Islamist terror struck in order to send a clear political signal to the whole republic.” The city had tried to prevent this by banning rallies and gatherings on the market square and declaring the square a memorial site for the killed police officer until June 16.
The Karlsruhe Administrative Court overturned this on Thursday. “It is highly doubtful whether the establishment of a memorial site on the occasion of a violent crime can still be seen as a matter of ongoing administration that falls within the competence of the mayor,” says the ruling, which is available to the German Press Agency. The mayor’s general decree also probably does not meet the requirements for a ban on gatherings.
The city lodged an appeal with the Higher Administrative Court in Mannheim. It argued that the administrative court valued the right to hold assemblies at any time and in any place more highly than the city of Mannheim’s designation of the market square as a place of remembrance and mourning for the population. “Likewise, the approval of the rally does not protect the dignity of the murdered police officer by providing adequate protection against being used for ideological or political expressions of opinion.” In addition, there were riots on the market square on Sunday between two demonstrations in connection with the knife attack. The city therefore sees an increased risk to public safety because calls for the demonstration are being made in relevant forums across the country.
With its ruling, the 12th Senate of the VGH changed the decision of the administrative court and rejected the AfD’s urgent applications. The VGH did not initially give reasons for its decision. These will only be published later.
Before the demonstration, Friday in Mannheim was dedicated to remembering Rouven Laur – including a minute’s silence, laying of a wreath and rallies. Many politicians traveled to Mannheim especially for this, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.