Posted by: July 1, 2022
BERLIN, GERMANY- According to reports, German public pools are no longer a safe and peaceful place for families and children.
The sheer number of violent acts at German outdoor swimming pools have alarmed the Federal Association of German Swimming Champions (BDS) to such an extent that its president, Peter Harzheim, has stated that he can no longer recommend that families visit the pools on the weekends.
Harzheim stated that he would be “acting irresponsibly” if he attended an outdoor pool with his own three grandchildren.
This warning comes after a mass brawl at a Berlin swimming pool involving nearly 100 migrants, in which a number of children were punched and kicked. A 10-year-old was injured in the incident, suffering a blow to his head during the melee.
The incident was caught on video and was widely reported on in the German media. Watch below:
In response, Harzheim said:
“These pictures shake me. When I see that, I shudder. These people that i see there have no respect for people. It cannot go on like that. Pool operators need to be more active and choose their visitors better.”
The BDS president also called for more political support and stricter police presence and action. He added:
“It cannot be that the people who commit crimes there are released after two hours. Politicians turn a blind eye to the problems and let us down.”
Reportedly, migrants have been involved in a number of notable crimes and assaults at swimming pools in recent years.
In 2016, a town near Cologne banned all migrant men from attending a public pool due to repeated cases of sexual harassment and one criminal case. According to town authorities, the ban was instituted to persuade asylum seekers to “change their behavior.”
A leaked police report in 2016 also allegedly showed that there was a concerning rise in migrant sexual assaults at swimming pools in the German city of Düsseldorf. The internal report allegedly said:
“[We] can confirm a surge in sex crimes at these establishments. In particular rape and the sexual abuse of children in bathing establishments have given us grave cause for concern. The perpetrators, are for the most part, immigrants.”
German broadcast reports have also picked up on the topic, highlighting how “youth gangs” now present a growing challenge for lifeguard staff attempting to maintain order. Thomas Struck, the chief lifeguard at the public swimming pool in Kehl, said in a statement:
“We have a 15-meter and 10-meter diving boards and that means action, and testosterone plays a role in that. It gets hot, you add the Red Bull into the mix and it gets explosive when the different rival gangs who know each other from the different blocks meet. Then they come at each other.”
Struck said that one incident involving 50 youths who climbed over the fence to break into the swimming pool resulted in a massive police response to clear the area. Since then, they have had to fire a large number of security guards to keep order.
In 2021, three youths assaulted a lifeguard at the German town of Schlitz, forcing him to deploy pepper spray. An article in the Bayern Kurier also detailed a wide range of incidents in German public swimming pools across the country.
One such incident happened in Essen where a group of young men beat two lifeguards and punched a 12-year-old girl in the stomach for getting in the way. At the time, Mayor Thomas Kufen (CDU), said:
“I am outraged by the disrespect of the perpetrators. We will take action after the incident. In addition to a criminal complaint, the attackers will also be banned from the premises.”
A number of locations, such as Düsseldorf, has made it necessary to impose an identification requirement in response to the aggressive and violent migrants.
Retrieved from: https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/women-and-children-arent-safe-here-public-swimming-pools-taken-over-by-violence-sex-assaults-from-migrants/
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