Freie Universität Berlin

In answering this question, we first have to address the fact that Freie Universität Berlin has not authorized any political protests on campus since October 7, 2023, and has not made any spaces available for rallies to be held. Organizers of demonstrations are, however, free to hold events in public spaces. The caveat here is that rallies and protests in public fall under the jurisdiction of the police, who have the authority to approve or prohibit said demonstrations as well as oversee them where they see fit.

Since October 7, 2023, rallies have been held on the premises of Freie Universität Berlin without the prior knowledge or approval of the university. In cases in which the law is broken, such incidents will be reported and investigated by the authorities. 

We restated our belief in freedom of speech and opinion in an email sent out by the Executive Board on December 5, 2023:

“As a university we serve as a forum for the exchange of different viewpoints through objective and constructive discussion against the background of an open and democratic discursive space characterized by mutual respect. The same rules that apply to democracy in the public sphere also apply to conduct on our campus, and we will not condone any challenges to these rules.”

Generally speaking, everyone in Germany has the right to freedom of assembly. Rallies and demonstrations held in public must be registered with the relevant authorities (in this case, the police in Berlin) with at least forty-eight hours’ notice before they can be announced. In line with Berlin’s Freedom of Assembly Act (Versammlungsfreiheitsgesetz), demonstrations that are held in public and have been authorized by the police may be allowed even on Freie Universität Berlin’s premises if said spaces are freely accessible to the public, such as the area in front of Mensa II (the cafeteria on Otto-von-Simson-Straße) or around the coyote statue near the Holzlaube building.

Demonstrations or similar political events in enclosed spaces on Freie Universität Berlin’s premises would theoretically require the approval, or at the very least the authorization, of Freie Universität Berlin, in order to go ahead.

In principle, no, you cannot be expelled for your political opinions or activities. The right of institutions of higher education to enforce certain sanctions against university members in order to maintain law and order (“Ordnungsrecht”) – which also included exmatriculation among its most drastic measures – was repealed through an amendment to the Berlin Higher Education Act in 2021.

However, if necessary to ensure regular university operations, certain measures lasting up to three months in total (such as banning individuals from the premises) may be enacted in order to safeguard public order on campus.

Students are permitted to wear religious or political symbols of their choice, provided that such symbols are not prohibited.

Please be considerate of others when you choose to wear certain political symbols, especially in times of political conflict, as you may unintentionally offend or upset others in our community. In such cases we ask that you exercise particular discretion in order to avoid potentially hurting other university members. 

You can reach out to the Diversity and Antidiscrimination Office (diversity@fu-berlin.de), which offers confidential antidiscrimination counseling sessions. It is currently in the process of establishing a complaint management system. In any case, you can get in touch with the Diversity team if you would like to talk to someone about your experience or if you would like to submit a complaint.

If you are in immediate danger or a crime is being committed, call the police. The emergency number for the police in Germany is 110. Please inform the Office of the General Counsel after the incident as well (rechtsamt@fu-berlin.de). 

If action needs to be taken quickly because someone is causing a disruption, authorized individuals may call on their authority to remove people who are disturbing the peace from the premises. Here you can find a list of individuals who have the authority to ban people from the premises.

You can find information on student advising and psychological counseling at Freie Universität on this website. Information on walk-in appointments at the support.points around campus is available on their website.

There are also other counseling resources available to you outside of the university context, for example, on the following sites:

• You can chat online with a professional any time of the day or night at Krisenchat (available in multiple languages, including English, Turkish, Ukrainian, Polish, and more).
• Nightline Berlin is a telephone hotline run by students for students who are facing a crisis or hardship.
• In acute cases, the Berlin Crisis Service can be reached at +49 30 390 63 00.
• Telephone counseling across Germany is provided by the Telefonseelsorge organization. They have information about international helplines on their website, too: https://www.telefonseelsorge.de/telefon/#telephone 0800 111 0111 (German and English)
• “Matan” Hebrew Helpline 0800 000 1642 (Hebrew, English, and German)
• Muslim telephone counseling +49 30 443 509 821 (also available in Arabic, Turkish, and Urdu)

You can get in contact with the Diversity and Antidiscrimination Office (diversity@fu-berlin.de). If you or others are in immediate danger or a crime is being committed, call the police. The emergency number for the police in Germany is 110. Please inform the Office of the General Counsel after the incident as well (rechtsamt@fu-berlin.de). 

If action needs to be taken quickly because someone is causing a disruption, authorized individuals may call on their authority to remove people who are disturbing the peace from the premises. Here you can find a list of individuals who have the authority to ban people from the premises.

The Office of the General Counsel reports antisemitic and racist incidents that can be prosecuted under criminal law to the authorities as soon as Freie Universität Berlin has been notified.

Please report graffiti – along with additional information regarding the specific building and room number or a description of where you found it – to the following email address: dienstleistung@ggm.fu-berlin.de. Our colleagues at the Facilities and Properties Service Unit will do their utmost to track down and remove the graffiti as soon as they have been informed. 

The distribution of flyers and posters is usually only permitted in buildings belonging to Freie Universität Berlin after prior consultation with the Facilities and Properties Service Unit and the university’s authorized service partner. A fee typically applies for the distribution of advertising and other information on campus. Posters that have been put up without permission will be immediately removed.

Posters featuring political content are not permitted. If you notice antisemitic or racist posters on campus, please immediately get in touch with the employee who is responsible for the building (for example the head of the department, building manager, or custodian). 

You can also report further information, such as the specific building and room number or a description of the site, to mieten@ggm.fu-berlin.de. Our colleagues at the Facilities and Properties Service Unit will look into the legality of the posters and initiate measures where necessary. 

Instructors and departments have been asked to be lenient when it comes to due dates and requirements related to courses, assignments, and exams in light of recent developments. Students’ individual situations should be taken into consideration and accommodations should be made where appropriate.