Section 2 — Scope of application
(1) This Act applies to public meetings and public events.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a public meeting is defined as a demonstration or
other assembly arranged for the exercise of the freedom of assembly, open for
participation or observation also to persons who have not been expressly invited
to it. However, a demonstration arranged merely for the expression of the opinion
of individual persons is not considered to be a public meeting.
(3) For the purposes of this Act, a public event is defined as amusements, contests,
performances and other comparable events that are open to the public, but not
considered to be public meetings. If participation in an event requires an
invitation or membership in a given organisation, the provisions of this Act on
public events apply to it, unless the event, owing to the number of participants,
the type of the event or other specific circumstances, is considered to be of a
private nature.
(4) This Act does not apply to official events arranged by public corporations, nor to
the characteristic events of religious communities where these are arranged for
the purpose of public worship in the community’s own premises or in a
comparable place.
Section 3 — General principles governing the arrangement of an event
(1) A public meeting and a public event shall be arranged peacefully, without
compromising the safety of the participants or bystanders and without infringing
their rights. When arranging an event, care shall be taken that the assembly
does not cause significant damage to the environment.
(2) When arranging a public meeting or public event, no one shall without an
acceptable reason be treated differently from others on the basis of personal
circumstances.
Section 4 — Duty of protection and promotion
The public authorities shall promote the exercise of the freedom of assembly by
protecting the right to assemble without hindrance and by providing for the
necessities in the arrangement of public meetings.