Countless visitors flocked to the Upper Sure Lake on 17 May despite local restrictions imposed by the municipality of Esch-sur-Sure. Municipal officials had decided to keep the beaches shut as a precautionary measure.
The representative of the public prosecutor’s office argued that the beach-goers should have been aware of the restrictions as they were widely reported on in local media. He demanded that the defendants therefore be fined. The judge did not agree.
The judge explained in his written verdict that a set of contradictory rules had come into affect during that period. On the one hand, a municipal regulation stipulated the closure of the lake’s beaches. On the other hand, a grand ducal decree from 15 May stipulated that groups of up to 20 people can meet outside. On 17 May, police also only took down the details of people who went to the beaches - but not of those who engaged in activities such as diving, windsurfing, or stand-up paddling. The judge argued that the second category of people nevertheless still had to access the beaches.
The defendants were acquitted.
