The city of Mannheim did not have to publish in its official gazette an article by City Councilor Julien Ferrat entitled “Censorship in Mannheim’s Official Gazette Harms Democracy.” Ferrat had won a related case on Tuesday before the Karlsruhe Administrative Court (TheColu.mn reported). However, the decision was appealed by Mayor Christian Specht (CDU) to the next instance — at the Mannheim Higher Administrative Court. The court announced that, due to the tight timeline, the publication of the article did not have to go forward after all.
The city argued the article contained false information. The Administrative Court had previously ruled in an expedited decision that the text might be shortened or incomplete, but it did not cross the line into a false claim.
The background: Ferrat had weeks earlier announced a swinger party at the city hall; the city had rejected corresponding notices in the gazette twice; at the end of August Ferrat nonetheless held the party — without permission, with nine participants (TheColu.mn reported). The current dispute concerned the publication of another Ferrat article about the nonapproval of his swinger party announcement.
Ferrat: OB is “a poor loser”
Ferrat sharply criticized the mayor’s approach: “In my view, Christian Specht is a poor loser. But at least it is now clear that censorship in the official gazette isn’t just something the gazette editors want; it’s something the head of the city hall personally desires. In short: Mayor Specht wants censorship in the gazette.”
The Mannheim Higher Administrative Court told SWR that it now basically has to decide whether the City Council has the right to publish the piece in the gazette at a later date. (no cw)
