Public swimming pools in Germany can expect a greater police presence in the future, including police potentially in bathing suits, to help combat a concerning rise in migrant violence.
In an interview with the German BILD newspaper, the country’s Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faesar vowed to deal with the growing problem after a number of high-profile mass brawls between gangs of predominantly foreign nationals were captured on film and subsequently went viral on social media.
One such incident last month at an outdoor pool in Berlin saw security personnel struggle to restore order following a fight between approximately 100 foreign nationals which left four people injured and a security guard hospitalized.
Violence at the outdoor swimming complexes has become so widespread that the President of the Federal Association of German Swimming Champions Peter Harzheim told BILD TV last month that he could no longer encourage families to visit such facilities. He told the news outlet that he would be “acting irresponsibly” if he attended an outdoor pool with his own three grandchildren.
Some on social media questioned why Germany increasingly needs a police presence at swimming pools, which were traditionally peaceful places.
“Why didn’t you need police in swimming pools 15-25 years ago? Should we maybe own up to the mistakes of the past? There must be a reason! Something is wrong when you can no longer send your wife and children to the swimming pool alone,” wrote Stephan Brock on Twitter.
As Remix News previously reported, violence involving migrants at Germany’s swimming pools is widespread, with notable also including a number of sexual assaults.
However, despite an already large police presence in Germany’s swimming pools, now the country’s interior minister suggesting police in bathing suits will need to be stationed around swimming pools.
“For me, it is important that the rule of law takes action, that there are enough staff on site so that something like this does not happen,” Faesar told BILD, suggesting that police officers in swim trunks standing guard at the edge of the swimming pools was now a possibility.
“Families and young people must be able to go to the swimming pool without any worries,” Faesar added.
Faeser has been criticized for her overt focus on right-wing extremism while ignoring migrant crime and cases of left-wing extremism despite the greater threat of violence from left-wing extremists.
Just today, Remix News reported how foreigners are responsible for over half of manslaughter convictions and 39 percent of all murder convictions despite making up a small portion of the German population.