The Saxon state parliament passed a new assembly law on Wednesday. Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) considers it to be the most modern of its kind in Germany.
The protection of media representatives at gatherings is expressly formulated as a task of the authorities. Journalists should identify themselves to the responsible authority or the police enforcement service so that appropriate measures can be taken to protect them.
Experience from the coronavirus pandemic also plays a role, as gatherings often took place without a leader. Participants in the demonstration are now to appoint a leader from among their ranks. If this does not work, the authorities should be able to regulate the process.
"Saxony is finally getting a practical and modern assembly law. This will do justice to the importance of assemblies for our liberal constitutional state," said Green Party interior politician Valentin Lippmann. The law strengthens the authorities' duty to cooperate and at the same time reduces their ability to ban or restrict demonstrations: "This law clearly focuses on enabling and protecting assemblies. This brings us much closer to the basic idea of freedom of assembly in the Basic Law than the previous antiquated and messed-up assembly law."
