German protesters demanding free access to beaches have had their day in court, and won. Towns may now charge for changing rooms and other facilities, but cannot put fees on using public beaches.
The Free Beach for Free Citizens campaign has led protests such as the one above for several years, starting from a campaign by locals against a €3 fee for the nine kilometers of beach belonging to Wangerland on the North Sea coast.
The ruling by the Federal Administrative Court, in Leipzig, was based on the general right to free expression in the German constitution. Because the court is the highest administrative court in the country, its ruling is binding everywhere and will allow free access in many areas where fees are now charged.
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