Germans have right to protest during coronavirus pandemic - court

FILE PHOTO: A man wears a face mask during a protest demanding to take refugees from camps affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in front of Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany April 5, 2020. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans have the right to hold political protests if they adhere to social distancing rules in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the country's Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday.

The ruling falls short of a full victory for young activists who had petitioned the court after authorities in the western city of Giessen banned a protest planned for this week to denounce rules that bar public gatherings of more than two people.