The planned fencing of Görlitzer Park sparked protests over the weekend. According to an alliance, around 200 people demonstrated on Saturday in the park in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Today, the week of action under the motto “The Görli stays open!” came to an end. Organizers and police spoke of a relaxed atmosphere. On Sunday, protesters staged a number of actions in a more playful manner, throwing paint bags and climbing over a wall.
Initiatives want to prevent a fence and the nightly closure of the park. The Senate wants to use this to curb drug-related crime and conflicts.
District defends itself against Senate plans
The Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district is taking legal action against the Senate’s plans – so far without success. The Berlin Administrative Court ruled in an expedited procedure that the district, which is run by the Greens, had “no right of defence” against the intervention and the Senate’s decision. It is not an independent municipality, but carries out tasks as a subordinate part of the unified municipality of Berlin.
The district office is not satisfied with this decision and has filed an appeal with the Higher Administrative Court (OVG). According to a court spokeswoman, it is still unclear when the OVG will take up the matter.
Further discussions in politics
The plans are also causing debate in politics. The Green Party’s parliamentary group leader in the Berlin House of Representatives, Bettina Jarasch, criticized that little has happened since the security summit a year ago. “The never-ending fence debate is not making anyone safer. Least of all the residents, who are particularly afraid that drug use will shift even more to house entrances and stairwells.”
The Berlin FDP sees a different approach: “Anyone who wants to prevent a fence around Görlitzer Park must commit to building housing in the park,” said Secretary General Peter Langer. Residential and commercial areas create social control and thus more security in the other parks, he said. This makes a fence unnecessary.
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