The city of Essen must make the Grugahalle available to the AfD for its federal party conference on June 29 and 30 without any conditions. In a ruling published on Friday, the Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court ruled that the city may not make access to the hall dependent on the submission of a voluntary declaration of commitment that is subject to criminal penalties. In this declaration, the AfD should declare that it accepts responsibility for potentially criminal statements made at the party conference.
The 15th Chamber is convinced that the AfD is entitled to equal treatment when it comes to admission to public institutions such as the Grugahalle. It should not be treated differently than other political parties, according to the court’s statement on Friday.
Access may only be denied if there is a risk of criminal acts when using the service. However, a strict standard must be applied when assessing this question in the case of political parties. The court could not identify a sufficient factual basis to show that there was a high probability that violations of law would occur.
The decision is not yet legally binding. Those involved can file an appeal with the Higher Administrative Court for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Münster. It is still unclear whether the city of Essen will appeal the court decision to the next level.
The dispute over the federal party conference is also still pending at the Essen Regional Court. The court plans to decide on the civil suit in an oral hearing on Monday.
