A six-hour swimming event for Black children and teenagers at Berlin’s Volksbad was called-off amidst a wave of threats and online abuse triggered by German right-wing leaders.
A swimming event for Black children and teenagers at Berlin’s temporary Volksbad pool has been cancelled after organisers said they could no longer guarantee participants’ safety.
The event, organised by the anti-racism association Each One Teach One (EOTO) in cooperation with the Volksbühne theatre, had been scheduled for Friday afternoon. During those hours, EOTO’s youth programme was due to have exclusive use of the pool before it reopened to the general public later in the evening.
The Volksbad, a free 25-metre outdoor pool installed in front of the Volksbühne until early October, has regularly been reserved for different organisations. Among the groups invited were Gangway, a youth social work organisation, and Flussbad Berlin, which wants to reintroduce swimming in the Spree.
But none of those bookings attracted anything like the reaction generated by the EOTO event.
Announcing the cancellation, the Volksbühne said the swim had become "a target of right-wing and racist agitation” and concluded: “We cannot guarantee the safe arrival and departure of registered visitors, nor can we ensure a relaxed summer afternoon."
Outraged right-wingers
Alternative for Germany (AfD) leader Alice Weidel was among the most prominent critics of the event, calling it "apartheid".
To be clear, apartheid was a system of state-enforced racial segregation in South Africa under which a Black majority was denied political power and fundamental rights. The Berlin event involved a six-hour reservation of a temporary swimming pool for children and teenagers invited by a community organisation.
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Criticism also came from Berlin Christian Democrat (CDU) district councillor Aileen Weibeler, who said she felt discriminated against because she would not have been able to attend during the reserved hours.
The debate quickly spread across social media. Weibeler's Instagram video received thousands of comments, while EOTO reported racist threatening emails, threats of violence and discriminatory comments online.
Meanwhile commentary published in the Berliner Zeitung described the Volksbad project as “an embarrassing PR stunt by a spoiled cultural elite” and criticised the use of public funding.
'Physical and psychological safety'
EOTO and the Volksbühne announced the cancellation of the event on Thursday.
EOTO – which promotes racism prevention and the empowerment of Black, African and Afro-diasporic people in Germany – said it was no longer confident that the children’s "physical and psychological safety" could be guaranteed.
The Volksbühne likewise said protection of guests and staff was its highest priority.
Both organisations also rejected claims that the event was discriminatory. Artistic director Matthias Lilienthal said the theatre had been seeking to support “structurally disadvantaged groups”.
EOTO said its aim had simply been "to create a space where Black children and youth could enjoy a few pleasant hours at the Volksbad".
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