Berlin must pay back fees to climate activists
Berlin - The Berlin Higher Administrative Court has ruled that the Berlin police wrongly charged fees for removing climate radicals of the "Last Generation" from the streets. On Tuesday, the judges rejected an appeal by the state of Berlin against a ruling from September 2023, reports Die Welt. Accordingly, the police must now reimburse a fee of 241 euros. The decision is final.
The Berlin police had issued the “Last Generation” around 1,300 such notices for leaving the road. If all of them were unlawful, the state of Berlin would have to reimburse the so-called “climate stickers” a sum of 313,300 euros.
Climate glue expects 300,000 euros
Lilly Schubert from the left-wing extremist association "Backing for an active civil society" (RAZ) is convinced of this. "The decision of September 2023 already argued that there was no suitable legal basis for charging the costs," Die Welt quotes her as saying. The decision is a precedent that can now be applied throughout Berlin. RAZ expects repayments of 300,000 euros.
In many cases, the 241 euro fee was paid by the “Last Generation”. The money in turn came from donations. An objection from individual street stickers had no suspensive effect, says Schubert.
Schubert: Road blockades must not be a question of money
The association therefore organized an administrative lawsuit that was brought to the Higher Regional Court. In connection with the "Last Generation," courts regularly hear whether sticking people down can be considered resistance to law enforcement officers. Judgments on this matter vary.
According to Schubert, such a negotiation is appropriate. "However, a blanket punishment for a form of protest and assembly through the imposition of costs by the state of Berlin is not." This makes it a question of money whether people "can afford to exercise their basic rights."
Source: Junge Freiheit
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