Climate zealots scored a victory in a German court over the use of police pain grips.

Berlin's Administrative Court slammed police restrictions on protests, ruling them unlawful in a verdict delivered on March 21.

During a Last Generation sit-in on April 20, 2023, on Berlin's Strasse des 17. Juni, police restrained activist Lars Ritter, 21, using pain grips after stopping the march. As officers forcefully cleared the road, Ritter was told he'd be unable to chew or swallow for days if he didn't move, enraging protesters and prompting them to file a case.

The court's decision, Case VG 1 K 281/23, marks Germany's first confirmation that pain grips during peaceful sit-down protests are not the mildest option. They said pain grips were to be employed only as a last resort.

Footage from an earlier rally shows officers dragging Lars along the ground as he screams in pain.

Ritter received backing from the Society for Civil Liberties (GFF) and the group Backbone for Active Civil Society (RAZ).

Lilly Schubert from RAZ hailed the ruling as a significant moment in civil rights.

She said: 'This ruling should protect protesters, uphold assembly rights, and safeguard democracy. Peaceful protest is the heartbeat of a thriving democracy and vital for civil engagement. This young activist's lawsuit, she insisted, defends democratic freedoms.'

After the hearing, Lars Ritter said: 'I'm thrilled with the verdict. Police treatment like this does something to you—it's humiliating. Sure, this case was about me, but I'm just one of thousands who've faced similar, often worse, ordeals at peaceful protests. It can't go on.'

The court blasted the deliberate infliction of pain during protest dispersals as a serious violation of bodily integrity rights. In some cases, it might even breach the European Convention on Human Rights' ban on torture (Article 3).

The ruling also warned that such tactics could suppress freedom of assembly. If peaceful protesters fear brutal police force, they may be intimidated into silence.

A new Green Legal Impact study this month claimed climate activism is increasingly criminalised, with unchecked police violence normalising the repression of social dissent.