It will be one of the largest protest camps in a long time, the police are talking about their most extensive operation since the G20 and the climate activists are setting the first scent mark: “Call for collective resistance in the form of the targeted interruption of supply chains in the port of Hamburg” is called for,” said Liv Roth, spokeswoman of the autonomous alliance “… all round!” on Monday. “The port of Hamburg is not just a symbol of the capitalist system. As the linchpin, it represents a neuralgic point in the capitalist infrastructure.”
The protest and climate camp “System Change Camp” from August 9th to 15th is already moving the city. Around 4000 to 6000 participants are expected, the protest is directed against the construction of new LNG terminals and against fossil energy supply. It is a colorful mix of protests, including groups such as “Ende Gelände”, which are considered left-wing extremist influences, and groups such as the “Interventionalist Left”, which are considered violent. However, according to the police, extremists are “not formative” for the meeting, Fridays-for-Future and the Green Youth also take part.
The starting point for the protests is the “System Change Camp,” according to the spokeswoman for “ums Ganze!” – the camp about which there was a legal tug-of-war last week. The climate protesters had initially chosen the central fairground in the city park as a meeting place and planned to set up circus tents, 40 supply and event tents, sleeping tents, field kitchens and fresh water and waste water infrastructure there.
The assembly authority, which is based at the police, prohibited this and referred the organizers to a replacement area in the Altonaer Volkspark, a wasteland on Elly-See-Straße. The green areas in the city park would be severely damaged by the seven-day use, and the authority also banned sleeping tents and other infrastructure.
The administrative court had initially partially conceded this decision in an urgent procedure. According to the court, the climate camp is “with a high degree of probability” to be classified as an assembly protected by Article 8 of the Basic Law and the Assembly Act. This includes the infrastructural facilities of the climate camp, because there is a connection to the content of the statement of opinion intended by the camp.
The relocation of the meeting from the fairgrounds in the city park to the area at the Altonaer Volkspark, on the other hand, was “not objectionable”. The formation of opinions can also take place there. The city appealed the decision and was also told by the Higher Administrative Court that sleeping tents were allowed.
The reasoning for the judgment reads as follows: “The Higher Administrative Court also assumes, taking into account the examination density that is only possible in the proceedings for preliminary legal protection, that the possibility of participating in the ‘Climate Camp’, which is designed as an event lasting several days, currently depends on an infrastructure that is to be set up temporarily should, who then also participate in the protection of freedom of assembly. That includes simple accommodation in tents.” This saying is now unchallengeable.
The case is reminiscent of the debates surrounding the G-20 summit in Hamburg. The G-20 opponents originally wanted to set up their camp in the city park as well. In the end, the camp should take place on the Entenwerder peninsula. At the time, the police blocked off access. This was unlawful, the administrative court ruled five years later in May 2022.
The first tents are now in place and more and more participants are arriving. The police are preparing for many actions – from blockades in road and ship traffic to infrastructure. A large demo is also scheduled to move from the Landungsbrücken to the city center on Wednesday, August 10th.