Court: The city must keep the noise down during events, but limits do not apply to private events

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A court in Brno has ruled that the city must limit the volume at its events, but the decision does not apply to private concerts. Photo: Náměstí Svobody. Credit: Casadei Graphics.

Brno, Jul 24 (BD) – Political and social events organized in náměstí Svobody by the City of Brno must comply with noise restrictions, but this does not apply to events and gatherings organized by other entities. The secretary of Brno-center district Petr Štika announced last Wednesday’s decision by the Regional Court in Brno, as reported in Czech local daily Brněnská drbna last week (“Město si u svých akcí míru hlasitosti hlídat musí. U soukromých koncertů ne, rozhodl soud”).

The city has been in a long-term dispute with a married couple living in one of the houses in the square. The couple has repeatedly complained about the noise during events organized in náměstí Svobody and sued the city. The dispute was eventually referred to the Constitutional Court last year. The Constitutional Court decided in favor of the couple and the city began regulating the noise during events in the square. (Read more in our previous article “Náměstí Svobody Without Political And Cultural Meetings? Brno Fights Against!“). As a result, many concerts, social events, and political meetings have been moved to other places in the city, such as Zelný trh.

The organizers of the “Music against Violence” meeting, which was to be held last Saturday, submitted the latest complaint to the Regional Court. The Brno-center district, in light of earlier judgments, suggested that the event should not take place in náměstí Svobody, but rather in the nearby Zelný trh. The court overruled the city’s suggestion last Wednesday. According to Štika, it is therefore clear from the court’s decision that the city must not prohibit or restrict the performance of music in the square.

The animosity between the couple living in the square and the city flared up again last Monday with the disturbance of a concert by American singer Bill Frisell by an alarm sound coming from the couple’s apartment. This act will probably be classified as a minor offense, said Pavel Šváb of the Brno Metropolitan Police, quoted in Brněnská drbna.

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