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Hooligan demo ban rejected

November 13, 2014

A police ban on an anti-Islamist protest has been overruled by a court in the northern German city of Hanover. Organized by self-proclaimed hooligans, the last protest resulted in riots and a lock-down in Cologne.

https://p.dw.com/p/1DmV8
Hooligans in Cologne
Image: Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay

A demonstration, planned for November 15 by self-proclaimed German Hooligans against Salafists (HoGeSa), has been given the go ahead by Hanover's Administrative Court.

The decision overturns a previous police ban on the protest organized by HoGeSa, a newly formed group made up mainly of neo-Nazis and radical football fans.

According to a spokeswoman, authorities are currently investigating whether they can appeal the decision before the Higher Administrative Court in Lüneburg.

As part of the ruling, however, the demonstration will only be allowed to take place in one restricted area of the city center, as opposed to the originally planned march through Hanover.

Freedom of assembly

The Hanover court ruled that the rally of hooligans was legally protected by the right to freedom of assembly, adding that the event was for proclaiming opinion and not just force.

Previous demonstrations in Mannheim and Dortmund remained peaceful, but in Cologne, at the end of October, protests got out of hand after some 4,800 protesters descended upon the city - resulting in clashes with the police and 49 injured officers.

ksb/nm (epd, AFP)