Right of assembly
Legal information on the right of assembly
According to Article 8 of the Basic Law, all Germans have the right to assemble peacefully and without weapons without registration or permission.
The Assembly Act for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia restricts and regulates the existing freedom of assembly.
An assembly within the meaning of the Versammlungsgesetz NRW is a local gathering of at least three people for a communal discussion or demonstration aimed primarily at participating in the formation of public opinion (§ 2 Para. 3 VersG NRW).
Any person wishing to organize a public assembly in the open air must notify the competent authority at least 48 hours before the invitation to the assembly (§ 10 Para. 1 VersG NRW). The district police authority in whose district the assembly is taking place has subject matter and local jurisdiction (Section 32 VersG NRW).
Please send your notification to (postal address):
Viersen district police authority
Department ZA 1
Lindenstraße 5
41747 Viersen
E-mail: poststelle.viersen [at] polizei.nrw.de (poststelle[dot]viersen[at]polizei[dot]nrw[dot]de)
The notification must describe the planned course of the assembly according to the expected number of participants, place, time and topic, and in the case of processions also the intended route. It must contain the name, telephone contact details and an address suitable for correspondence with the competent authority of the person making the notification and the person who is to lead it. If the assembly leader makes use of the assistance of stewards, their deployment must be notified to the competent authority, stating the number of persons expected to be deployed for this purpose (§ 10 Para. 2 VersG NRW).
Whoever organizes an assembly leads it. However, the leadership can also be transferred to another person (§ 5 VersG NRW). The assembly leader is responsible for the orderly conduct of the assembly for the duration of the assembly and works towards its peacefulness (§ 6 Para. 1 VersG NRW). It is also the point of contact for the police.
Open-air assemblies can be restricted by conditions to prevent an immediate threat to public safety, Section 13 VersG NRW.