Berlin court overturns May 8-9 ban on Ukrainian flags

FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian flag waves in front of the Motherland monument at the World War II open-air museum in Kyiv on May 8, 2022, a day before ‘Victory Day’ is commemorated in Ukraine. (Photo by Aleksey Filippov / AFP)

BERLIN, Germany — A Berlin court has overturned a ban imposed by the German capital’s police on Ukrainian flags around Soviet monuments on May 8 and 9, police said Saturday.

Police had prohibited both Ukrainian and Russian flags at three Soviet memorials in the capital on the two days, when the end of World War II is commemorated.

They had argued that “the act of remembrance, as well as the respect for these memorials and monuments, must be preserved against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.”

But the court took a “different view on our threat assessment and has allowed the display of Ukrainian flags and banners as well as Ukrainian marches and military songs” at the sites, police said, adding that they will not appeal against the decision.

The challenge against the Berlin police’s order was filed by a Ukrainian organization.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany Oleksiy Makeiev had urged authorities to “revise the decision and to find a solution together.”

“The German people have no problem with the Ukrainian flag,” argued Makeiev, pointing out that it is already flying at many institutions in solidarity with Kyiv’s efforts to repel Russian invaders.

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