Why doesn’t Freie Universität Berlin simply ban protests?
Generally speaking, everyone in Germany has the right to freedom of assembly. Rallies and demonstrations held in public must be registered with the relevant authorities (in this case, the Berlin police department) with at least forty-eight hours’ notice before the organizers can officially invite people to attend their event. In line with Berlin’s Freedom of Assembly Act (Versammlungsfreiheitsgesetz), demonstrations that are held in public and have been authorized by the police may be allowed even on Freie Universität Berlin’s premises if the space used to assemble is freely accessible to the public.
University members are not permitted to hold demonstrations or similar political events in enclosed spaces on Freie Universität Berlin’s premises. An event of this nature would theoretically require the approval, or at the very least the authorization, of Freie Universität Berlin, in order to go ahead. The university has approved no such event or demonstration.