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The court does not see a blanket ban on gatherings as a means of containing the pandemic.
Here the empty pedestrian zone of Dortmund
Photo:
Bernd Thissen / dpa
The North Rhine-Westphalian Higher Administrative Court temporarily lifted a demonstration ban imposed by the state for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior confirmed a corresponding decision by the Münster court on Thursday.
There was no confirmation from the court itself on New Year's Eve.
The WDR had previously reported.
The state government had in the Corona Protection Ordinance for December 31.
and the 1.1.
Demonstrations are strictly prohibited.
Behind this was the concern that registered gatherings could be abused to circumvent the ban on New Year's Eve celebrations.
The judges found this regulation to be unlawful and disproportionate - the authorities could guarantee protection against infection even without the general ban on gatherings.
The police stations in the country were therefore informed about the new legal situation shortly before the turn of the year, confirmed the ministry spokesman.
Should demonstrations be registered at short notice, the police, as the supervisory authority, would monitor them accordingly.
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mjm / dpa