Overview
- The Raad van State upheld a ban on demonstrations directly at a Groningen clinic entrance, affirming a 2023 lower-court ruling.
- The case traces to a 2021 directive by then-mayor Koen Schuiling that moved anti-abortion protesters to the opposite side of the street.
- The court ruled the right to demonstrate is not unlimited and may be restricted for traffic interests or when public safety faces disorder.
- The ruling requires that any designated protest location remain within sight and hearing of clinic visitors to safeguard demonstration rights.
- The judgment drew on similar cases in Heemstede and Amsterdam and dismissed the objections raised by the action groups in each instance.