In answering this question, we first have to address the fact that Freie Universität Berlin has not authorized any political protests on campus since October 7, 2023, and has not made any spaces available for rallies to be held. Organizers of demonstrations are, however, free to hold events in public spaces. The caveat here is that rallies and protests in public fall under the jurisdiction of the police, who have the authority to approve or prohibit said activities as well as oversee them where they see fit.

Since October 7, 2023, rallies have been held on the premises of Freie Universität Berlin without the prior knowledge or approval of the university. In cases in which the law is broken, such incidents will be reported and investigated by the authorities.

As a university we serve as a forum for the exchange of different viewpoints through objective and constructive discussion against the background of an open and democratic discursive space characterized by mutual respect. The same rules that apply to democracy in the public sphere also apply to conduct on our campus, and we will not condone any challenges to these rules.

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 police in Berlin) with at least forty-eight hours’ notice before they can be announced. 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 said spaces are freely accessible to the public, such as the area in front of Mensa II (the cafeteria on Otto-von-Simson-Straße) or around the coyote statue near the Holzlaube building.

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 (tacit or explicit) approval of Freie Universität Berlin, in order to go ahead.

Pursuant to Section 16 of the Berlin Higher Education Act (Berliner Hochschulgesetz) students may only be removed from the register of students (“Exmatrikulation”) if they have been convicted of the following crimes in a court of law:

• The use of physical violence, incitement to physical violence, or threats of physical violence, whereby a member of the university is significantly impeded from exercising their rights and obligations;
• A willful criminal offense committed to the detriment of a member of the university that, depending on the nature of the criminal offense, jeopardizes the studies or other similar activities of said member of the university;
• The use or attempt to use institutions of the university for willful criminal offenses that cause significant damage to the university; or
• Sexualized harassment as specified in Section 4.4 of the Berlin Antidiscrimination Act (Landesantidiskriminierungsgesetz) from June 11, 2020 (GVBl. p. 532), in the currently valid version, whereby the dignity of another person is intentionally violated and said member of the university is thus significantly impeded from exercising their rights and obligations.

If necessary to ensure regular university operations, certain measures (such as banning individuals from the premises) may be enacted in order to safeguard public order on campus. Such measures against students may be authorized for up to three months in total; however, if the injured party suffers severe damage to their health, then this may be extended to up to nine months. The university reserves the right to repeatedly enact such measures in the event of ongoing or repeated disturbances of the peace.

All university members are permitted to wear religious or political symbols of their choice, provided that such symbols are not prohibited.

Distributing flyers and hanging posters in Freie Universität buildings is only permitted after prior consultation with the Facilities and Properties Service Unit and the university’s authorized service partner. 

A fee typically applies for the distribution of advertisements and other informational material on campus, including bulletin boards and advertising surfaces. This means that any posters put up without authorization in leased or non-approved areas will be removed immediately.

Posters featuring general political or partisan content are not permitted. If you notice posters with partisan, discriminatory, or offensive content, please first notify the staff responsible for the building (for example, the head of the department or building manager).

Alternatively, you can send an email to mieten@ggm.fu-berlin.de, providing the building name and room number or a description of the location. The Facilities and Properties Service Unit will then check whether the material complies with legal regulations and take any necessary action.