EA Russian tank shot down in Ukraine may be placed near the Russian embassy. The Berlin Administrative Court decided on Tuesday and agreed with the association around the “Berlin Story Bunker” museum.
In June, the association unsuccessfully applied to the Mitte district office to set up the tank in front of the embassy for a period of two weeks. The agency argued that displaying the wreck was “inappropriate” after all, people were likely to have died inside. In addition, such an action affects the foreign policy interests of the Federal Republic of Germany. Approval can only be granted in agreement with the Senate Chancellery or the Federal Government.
In the further course of the procedure, the authority decided that the planned exhibition was not about art. In addition, traffic will be obstructed, especially since crowds are to be expected. Furthermore, the erection of the tank affects both the listed middle promenade of the street Unter den Linden and the surrounding buildings. After all, according to the district office, the list burdens both people who have fled to Germany from Ukraine and other refugees.
is this art
The administrative court now saw things differently. The club cannot claim that the tank will be set up directly in front of the embassy, because the surface of the central promenade is presumably not designed for a weight of 40 tons. However, the initiative has a right to set up the tank on a currently closed section of nearby Schadowstrasse.
The district office was able to save itself a judgment as to whether the action was art, as the court clarified on Tuesday. In any case, it is a statement of opinion that is protected by freedom of expression. Road traffic or other road law reasons do not prevent the approval according to the decision. Reasons of piety and the foreign policy interests of the Federal Republic of Germany were not included.
