Saarbrücken/Saarlouis. As on the previous Fridays, the police received information about an unregistered assembly, a so-called "walk," on Good Friday (15.04.2022) in the city center of Saarlouis. However, since a general ban on assemblies applies on Good Friday, as determined by the Sunday and Holiday Act, the police were on site with strong forces.
Around 20 people gathered at around 7:00 PM at the usual meeting place on the Großer Markt in Saarlouis, while others had already left the location after being informed about the legal situation. The majority of the usual participants apparently adhered to the legal situation and did not show up. The gathering that nevertheless formed was recognized as an assembly by the police and was classified as such.
Paragraph 8 of the Sunday and Public Holidays Act prohibits assemblies and demonstrations on certain holidays, unless they serve the practice of religion or correspond to the character of the holiday. Based on the experiences available, it had to be assumed that the assembly would not correspond to the character of the holiday. A meeting leader, with whom this issue could have been clarified, among other things, did not identify themselves even when requested. The police subsequently dispersed the assembly and instructed the participants to leave the premises. Immediately afterwards, the individuals left individually or in small groups. There were no further disturbances.
