Berlin’s €300,000 “Pool for Everyone” Reserves a Day for Black People Only

A German swimming pool billed as “inclusive” has sparked a row after planning a session that would be “open exclusively to Black communities”. The Mail has the story:

The temporary open-air pool in front of Berlin‘s Volksbuhne theatre was officially opened just last week, and will remain open for eight weeks.

The €300,000 (£256,289) pop-up was promoted as a summer meeting spot for locals, however, has been heavily scrutinised over plans to shut the pool off to the majority of the public for one day.

Referring to Friday, August 14th, the Volksbuhne (translated as the “People’s Theatre”) website wrote: “During this period, the public bath will be open exclusively to Black communities.”

The 25-metre pool would be shut off from the general public between 12pm and 6pm, with requests “this collective self-designation and the spaces associated with it be respected”. …

The swimming pool in Volksbuhne was originally announced as a symbol against exclusion and commercialisation, with it being marketed as a “summer invitation”.

The event was held in collaboration with the public-funded EOTO, which offers social and cultural programmes for black people.

The move sparked anger from excluded Berliners after the project’s six-figure sum was funded by Volksbuhne, which receives more than €20 million (£17 million) annually from public funding. …

Meanwhile, a racism row erupted at the Heidebad lakeside beach in Halle, eastern Germany, when a lifeguard banned those who could not speak German from the lake this summer.

Mathias Nobel decided bathers should be able to understand safety rules after saving a toddler who almost drowned after swimming into a 138ft-deep section of the lake in June.

Described as the “German-only” policy, Mr Nobel was accused of discrimination and racism.

Worth reading in full.