AMERICANALMANAC (Alex Tanzer) - Berlin's taxpayer-funded pool planned a swim session for Black visitors only — then canceled it after public backlash
A publicly funded swimming pool in Berlin announced it would bar everyone except Black communities from a six-hour window on a Friday afternoon, drawing condemnation from across Germany's political spectrum before organizers quietly pulled the plug. The temporary open-air pool, built in front of the historic Volksbühne theatre at a cost of roughly €300,000 in […] The post Berlin's taxpayer-funded pool planned a swim session for Black visitors only — then canceled it after public backlash appeared first on American Almanac .
A publicly funded swimming pool in Berlin announced it would bar everyone except Black communities from a six-hour window on a Friday afternoon, drawing condemnation from across Germany's political spectrum before organizers quietly pulled the plug. The temporary open-air pool, built in front of the historic Volksbühne theatre at a cost of roughly €300,000 in public money, had been open barely a week when its operators posted a notice reserving the facility "exclusively to Black communities" on Friday, August 14, from noon to 6 p.m. The pool, free to enter, requiring no ID, was originally marketed as a place for all Berliners to cool off in a city where, by the theatre director's own admission, half the indoor and outdoor pools are…Open
AI:Berlin bureaucrats attempted to use €300,000 in taxpayer funds to host a racially segregated swim session exclusively for Black communities at a temporary open-air pool near the Volksbühne theatre. The move sparked immediate condemnation from across the German political spectrum, with leaders questioning the legality and morality of using public resources to implement racial segregation. While organizers eventually canceled the event citing security concerns rather than acknowledging the inherent discrimination, the incident highlights an ongoing trend in Germany where progressive institutions prioritize identity politics over equal access to public infrastructure.Open