A Swiss pool in Porrentruy now charges foreigners double the local rate after lifting last summer’s controversial ban that followed harassment incidents by visitors from France.
A public swimming pool in the Swiss municipality of Porrentruy has introduced a controversial two-tier pricing system following a ban on foreign visitors last summer that sparked national debate over public safety and integration.
According to Junge Freiheit, the outdoor pool in the canton of Jura has lifted its blanket exclusion of foreigners but now charges non-residents double the entrance fee that locals pay. Adults without residency in Porrentruy must pay 15 Swiss francs for admission, while residents pay just 7.50 francs. The same two-to-one pricing ratio applies to younger visitors, with non-residents charged ten francs compared to five francs for local youth.
The facility has also implemented strict new regulations for certain categories of visitors. Anyone who neither lives in Porrentruy nor holds a residence permit, work permit, or settlement authorization must purchase tickets exclusively online. Those without recognized tourist cards are required to present valid identification documents at entry. Visitors who fail to meet these requirements can be turned away.
The measures come in response to repeated disturbances during the summer of 2025, when groups of young men from neighboring France repeatedly visited the swimming pool and allegedly engaged in harassment of female visitors and assaults on security personnel. The incidents prompted pool operators to initially impose a complete entry ban on foreigners, a decision that generated headlines throughout Switzerland and beyond.
Porrentruy Mayor Philippe Eggertswyler defended the new pricing structure and access restrictions, stating that the goal was to ensure tranquility at the facility rather than to pit Swiss citizens against foreigners, as he told the Swiss publication 20 Minuten.
The Federal Commission against Racism in Switzerland previously criticized the original foreign visitor ban as problematic and troubling. The new differential pricing system, while less absolute than the outright exclusion, continues to draw scrutiny over questions of discrimination and whether such measures are legally permissible under Swiss anti-discrimination statutes.
The case highlights growing tensions in border communities across Europe where local populations increasingly demand protection from disorder linked to cross-border visitors, while national authorities and human rights bodies resist measures they view as discriminatory profiling.