In the dispute over the security concept for the „Jamel rockt den Förster“ festival in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a viable solution has been found with the support of DOMBERT Rechtsanwälte. The Greifswald Higher Administrative Court (OVG), which was appealed to by the district administrator, largely enforced its conditions, which were intended to ensure the safety of participants and third parties, in summary proceedings (Ref.: 1 M 340/25 of 12 August 2025). Alcohol may be consumed at the festival. However, a glass ban and a higher number of security staff remain in place. In addition, the organiser must also inform the assembly authority about the assembly and not just the police. The referral to the OVG was necessary because the Schwerin Administrative Court (VG) had previously - also in summary proceedings - cancelled the district's conditions. „We welcome the fact that Jamel rockt den Förster can now take place with an appropriate security concept and that all participants, but also third parties and the organisers, can feel safe,“ says Rechtsanwalt Dr Stephan Berndt, who represented the district of Nordwestmecklenburg.

The other conditions, such as those relating to nature conservation and the deployment of stewards to direct participants travelling to and from the event in order to keep rescue and evacuation routes clear, have now also been confirmed by the Schwerin Administrative Court.   

The starting point of the dispute was the organisers' wish to register and hold the festival this year for the first time as an assembly under Article 8 of the Basic Law and not, as previously, as a private event. This meant that the district, as the state assembly authority, was obliged to ensure public safety and order. In view of the expected high number of festival visitors, the special local conditions and the difficult evacuation options in the event of an emergency, this was a particular challenge. At no time was it a question of preventing the event or creating obstacles, emphasises Berndt. The aim and task of the district was and is to ensure that the assembly is held safely and peacefully. This safety has been achieved with the decision of the Higher Administrative Court.

Because the organisers' urgent appeal was partly unfounded, the OVG ordered both sides to pay the costs of the legal dispute.