Hamburg, May 10, 2026 – A planned pro-Palestinian protest camp has been established on Hamburg’s Moorweide following a court ruling that overturned an initial ban. The Higher Administrative Court confirmed an urgent decision by the Hamburg Administrative Court, allowing the camp to proceed as planned. The first activists began setting up the camp on the large lawn on Saturday morning, followed by workshops and discussions on war and rearmament, attended by approximately 70 people.
Controversy Over Location: Moorweide’s Historical Significance
The choice of location has caused considerable concern within the Jewish community. In an open letter, the community protested the camp, emphasizing that the Moorweide is not just any public space, but the site where approximately 6,000 Jews, Sinti, and Roma were deported during the Holocaust. On Wednesday evening, a police spokesperson announced that the camp was to be moved to Sternschanzenpark due to these protests. However, the organizers challenged this decision in court and ultimately prevailed.
Court Upholds Organizers’ Right to Protest
“We are happy to announce that we have been successful in court and the camp will take place on the Moorweide as planned,” one of the organizers told NDR on Thursday evening after an initial favorable decision regarding the Moorweide location. The organizers of the pro-Palestinian protest camp “Bridges of Resistance” had filed a complaint against the relocation. They intended to set up the camp on the Moorweide, where a similar camp had been held two years prior. “Our protest camp is not a provocation and certainly not a questioning of Jewish remembrance,” the organizers stated.
The Administrative Court of Hamburg largely granted the organizers’ urgent application. The court overturned two key conditions: the relocation of the assembly to Sternschanzenpark and the prohibition of an information stand without the approval of the Altona district office. Another condition – the prohibition of a medical tent without approval – remained in force. “A general radical or extremist attitude of the organizer or leader is legally irrelevant for the danger prognosis, as long as it does not manifest itself in concrete, assembly-related actions endangering legal goods,” the court’s reasoning stated. In cooperation talks with the police, the organizers even explicitly stated that they did not intend to question Israel’s right to exist or relativize the Holocaust. In its decision on Friday, the Higher Administrative Court confirmed the decision of the lower court.
Concerns from the Jewish Community and Constitutional Protection
According to the Jewish community, some of the organizers include groups that hold antisemitic views, such as “Thawra! Hamburg,” which is reportedly monitored by the Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Philipp Stricharz, chairman of the Jewish community, criticized that the camp would question Israel’s right to exist and spread hatred against Jews. To prevent camps on the Moorweide in general, the Jewish community wishes for the city to permanently recognize the site as a protected memorial.
The Holocaust, the genocide of more than six million Jews during the Nazi era, is commemorated annually on January 27th. This historical context adds to the sensitivity surrounding the chosen location for the protest.
The event was broadcast on NDR Fernsehen | Hamburg Journal | 09.05.2026 | 7:30 PM.
