Berlin, Germany – A groundbreaking verdict was delivered this morning at Berlin’s Administrative Court, slamming police restrictions on protests. The use of pain grips by Berlin cops against climate activist Lars Ritter, 21, during a spring 2023 sit-in was ruled unlawful, setting a precedent that could reshape police tactics nationwide.

The court’s decision (Case VG 1 K 281/23) marks Germany’s first confirmation that pain grips during peaceful sit-down protests aren’t the mildest option—like carrying protesters away—and are thus illegal. Pain grips, it said, should only be a last resort. Ritter got backing from the Society for Civil Liberties (GFF) and the group Backbone for Active Civil Society (RAZ).

Lilly Schubert from RAZ hailed the ruling as a game-changer. She said it should protect protesters, uphold assembly rights, and safeguard democracy. Peaceful protest, she added, is the heartbeat of a thriving democracy and vital for civil engagement. This young activist’s lawsuit, she insisted, defends democratic freedoms.

Ritter, speaking after the hearing, was overjoyed. “I’m thrilled with the verdict,” he said. “Police treatment like this does something to you—it’s humiliating. Sure, this case was about me, but I’m just one of thousands who’ve faced similar, often worse, ordeals at peaceful protests. It can’t go on.”

The court blasted the deliberate infliction of pain during protest dispersals as a serious violation of bodily integrity rights. In some cases, it might even breach the European Convention on Human Rights’ ban on torture (Article 3). The ruling also warned that such tactics could chill assembly freedoms. If peaceful protesters fear brutal police force, it intimidates them into silence. A new Green Legal Impact study this month claimed climate activism is increasingly criminalized, with unchecked police violence normalizing repression of social dissent.

The case stems from a Last Generation protest on April 20, 2023, on Berlin’s Straße des 17. Juni. After cops halted the march and activists sat down, officers cleared the road with heavy-handed pain grips. Ritter was told he’d be unable to chew or swallow for days if he didn’t move. Footage captured by MDR sparked widespread outrage.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download