There was great excitement and enthusiasm at GSO last Thursday: On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, its President, Prof. Dr. Stephan Harbarth, visited us. His visit marked the start of a series of events in which a member of the country’s highest court visits a school in one of the 16 federal states.
During a tour of the school, where students from two string classes made music together with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Harbarth gained an impression of our diverse school. In the Performing Arts profile, students from Year 7 and Year 12 presented a production on the topic of fundamental rights. In addition, GSO introduced itself together with the network comprising the Kammerphilharmonie and the Mütterzentrum Tenever. Afterwards, Professor Harbarth cut a jubilee cake in front of selected guests and the press. In the subsequent one-hour session with upper secondary students, Germany’s most senior judge first explained in a short talk the role, composition and tasks of the Federal Constitutional Court, emphasised its creation against the historical background and its current importance for democracy. Finally, Harbarth issued an urgent appeal to the young people, who were listening very attentively, to stand up for the values of our constitution so that democracy and freedom in Germany are preserved.
Prof. Harbarth addressed numerous questions in detail in the subsequent “talk round”, moderated by three students: How does a constitutional complaint work? Why does the Federal Constitutional Court not engage in politics itself? Should there be compulsory civics lessons in schools? How has Corona affected the cases before the Federal Constitutional Court? Time and again, our guest emphasised in his remarks the importance of the Basic Law, its first article on human dignity and the founding spirit in the sentence: “The state exists for the sake of people, not people for the sake of the state.”
The only question Harbarth could not and did not wish to answer was his opinion on a social media ban for children, and he returned it to those asking. The issue would certainly end up on the desks of the constitutional judges, but he could not express an opinion on it, as he might otherwise be considered biased. With a buffet prepared by the Mütterzentrum’s catering service and further conversations, this highly interesting hour and the President’s visit came to an end, as he had to return to Karlsruhe straight away. After all, 100 cases are waiting there each week to be decided.
