### Bans and Prohibitions

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) defines "interference" with the right to freedom of assembly as any action by public authorities that restricts or impedes the exercise of this right. This includes measures taken before, during, or after an assembly, such as bans, dispersals, arrests, and punitive measures. The Court often refers to its established case-law to assess the proportionality and necessity of such interferences (605_11, 608_8, 612_8, 618_9, 639_8, 652_8, 672_8, 673_8).

#Complete Bans on Demonstrations

Complete bans on demonstrations are considered interference with the right to freedom of assembly. The Court has consistently found that such bans constitute a significant restriction on this right (2_103, 2_239, 5_56, 5_87, 54_79, 54_80, 55_121, 55_122, 55_207, 58_94, 69_58, 69_59, 69_60, 70_125). The refusal to authorize an assembly or change of venue also constitutes interference (113_20, 161_29, 161_32). The Court has found that the refusal to approve the location chosen by the applicants, the judicial decision declaring the demonstration unlawful, and the subsequent dismantling of the protesters’ tents by the police constituted interference (125_53). Additionally, the Court considers that the ban on demonstrations interferes with the right to freedom of assembly (138_29, 150_39, 150_40, 150_42, 150_43, 150_44, 177_47).

#Prohibitions on Specific Meetings or Rallies

Prohibitions on specific meetings or rallies also constitute interference. The Court has found that the refusal to authorize specific meetings or rallies, such as religious assemblies, constitutes interference (1_95, 1_97, 3_93, 4_71, 5_56, 5_87, 6_81, 6_88, 6_89, 7_81, 7_82, 9_242, 9_243, 10_2, 10_38, 10_39, 10_40, 10_41, 11_94, 12_97, 12_98, 13_86, 14_88, 15_66, 16_88, 18_99, 19_73, 22_48, 22_49, 22_50, 22_125, 23_114, 24_108, 24_109, 25_106, 26_103, 27_103, 28_153, 28_154, 29_118, 30_104, 31_97, 31_98, 32_30, 32_31, 32_32, 32_75, 33_68, 34_36, 34_109, 35_36, 35_37, 35_38, 35_109, 36_109, 36_110, 37_268, 39_74, 39_75, 40_11, 40_82, 41_62, 42_76, 42_77, 42_143, 42_144, 43_70, 43_71, 43_101, 47_95, 48_69, 48_84, 48_85, 48_86, 48_87, 48_88, 48_89, 52_75, 52_89, 53_85, 53_107, 53_141, 54_79, 54_80, 55_121, 55_122, 55_207, 56_184, 56_185, 56_186, 57_83, 57_84, 57_85, 58_94, 58_100, 59_78, 59_79, 59_80, 59_81, 59_82, 59_83, 59_84, 60_102, 61_82, 62_90, 65_100, 65_101, 65_102, 65_103, 65_104, 65_105, 66_212, 66_213, 66_214, 66_215, 66_216, 67_41, 68_43, 68_75, 68_78, 69_58, 69_59, 69_60, 70_125, 74_81, 74_140, 74_141, 75_74, 75_75, 75_76, 75_77, 76_195, 77_40, 78_82, 78_84, 78_85, 78_109, 78_110, 79_68, 80_208, 80_210, 81_90, 83_131, 83_132, 84_36, 84_108, 84_109, 84_110, 85_70, 85_71, 86_81, 86_82, 87_220, 87_221, 87_222, 87_223, 87_224, 87_225, 87_226, 87_227, 87_228, 87_229, 87_230, 87_231, 87_232, 87_233, 89_30, 90_32, 91_31, 91_60, 91_62, 92_41, 92_42, 93_151, 93_152, 93_153, 93_154, 93_155, 93_156, 93_157, 93_158, 94_39, 95_89, 95_90, 95_91, 95_108, 95_109, 97_30, 97_31, 97_35, 97_38, 97_39, 99_27, 99_33, 99_35, 114_32, 114_33, 114_34).