Blacks Only at Berlin’s Public Pool

From now on, native Germans can be actively discriminated against.

The “Volksbad” (People’s Pool), erected in front of the Volksbühne theater in Berlin’s Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, has been operating as a free summer amenity since August 7th. The initial announcement promised free entry without the need for identification. However, a special arrangement was suddenly announced for August 14th: from 12 pm to 6 pm, the pool would be accessible exclusively “to Black communities.”

The initiative is run by the association “Each One Teach One” (EOTO). It describes itself as an educational and meeting place for people of African origin and promotes its social, cultural, and educational programs.

The General Equal Treatment Act prohibits discrimination based on ethnic origin and allows for so-called “positive measures.” The latter are intended to compensate for or prevent perceived disadvantages. According to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, this can include special visiting hours at swimming pools. The Volksbühne’s pool rules state: “Admission to the Volksbad premises is free and generally open to everyone.” However, different regulations are possible for special events. EOTO is exploiting this and aims to exclude white people.

According to its own statements, the association receives funding from the state of Berlin and from the controversial federal program “Democracy Lives”. The program allocates a substantial €425,000 in funding for both 2025 and 2026.

Observers do not rule out the possibility that this action is a trial balloon to test the limits of what the still-majority native population can be expected to tolerate. A next step could then be the open preferential treatment of immigrants, for example, when searching for housing or in the job market.

Public Spaces Are No Longer for Germans

Operators and lifeguards of Bavarian outdoor swimming pools meanwhile unanimously report increasing aggression and inconsiderate behavior among visitors. But they don’t specify what kind of visitors they’re referring to. However, police reports and local news coverage, in most cases, no longer conceal the facts.

Jasmin Mineif, manager of the Landshut public swimming pool, has also been noticing an increase in aggression for several years. She says that visitors are behaving more selfishly and inconsiderately. A few weeks ago, a young man threatened and spat on a lifeguard. Since then, security personnel have had to provide additional presence.

Mayor Thomas Haslinger is more precise, reporting groups of young men, often with a migration background, who behaved aggressively. Mineif describes the troublemakers vaguely as mostly “unfulfilled young men.” In July, police had to intervene at the Cham outdoor swimming pool because of ten young “men.” The group had initially caused a disturbance by shouting and then verbally abused a lifeguard. Here, too, the police identified a 21-year-old Syrian as the main aggressor.

Statistics from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office confirm the increase in incidents. The number of registered crimes in outdoor swimming pools, indoor swimming pools, and bathing areas rose from 1,396 to 1,484 cases in 2025 – around six percent more than in the previous year. Insults increased by more than 40 percent, and assaults by 53 percent.

Reports of inconsiderate behavior are also coming in from Munich and the surrounding area. Visitors to the Dachau family swimming pool report seeing people playing football, running, and showing a lack of consideration at the outdoor pool – an unavoidable consequence of the changing urban landscape everywhere.

Giving Up on Germany

A growing number of Germans find the situation in the country increasingly unbearable and therefore want only one thing: to leave. According to a recent survey by the Erfurt-based INSA-Consulere Institute, presented by its founder Hermann Binkert, one in seven adults now plans to leave Germany within the next five years. This corresponds to 14 percent of those surveyed. If all these plans were to be implemented, approximately eight million Germans would theoretically pack their bags. At the same time, 68 percent want to remain in Germany permanently; the remaining respondents either did not provide an answer or were undecided.

The desire to emigrate is particularly strong among younger adults. In the 18-to-29-year-old age group, a substantial 24 percent plan to leave, while 57 percent want to stay. Among 30-to-39-year-olds, the proportion of those willing to emigrate is 27 percent, while only 52 percent want to continue living in Germany. This desire decreases with age: among 40-to-49-year-olds it is 15 percent, among 50-to-59-year-olds 12 percent, and among 60-to-69-year-olds 8 percent. Among those over 70, only 4 percent are considering leaving. INSA does not provide any reasons for these emigration plans.

Differences also emerge based on party affiliation. AfD supporters (19 percent) and Left Party voters (18 percent) express the most frequent desire to leave Germany. They are followed by BSW voters (15 percent), SPD supporters (14 percent), and CDU/CSU voters (13 percent). In contrast, Green Party and FDP supporters appear to be quite satisfied with the situation in Germany – only 10 percent and 7 percent, respectively, want to leave the country. Conversely, 80 percent of CDU/CSU supporters, 78 percent of FDP supporters, and 77 percent of Green Party supporters express an explicit desire to remain.