Berlin's Volksbad reopens after racist threats force cancellation of Black youth swimming event

The Volksbad project

Since August 7, a 25-meter-long, 1.30-meter-deep temporary outdoor pool has stood in front of Berlin's Volksbühne theatre on Rosa Luxemburg Platz. The "Volksbad," built with €300,000 of public money, offers free admission and is scheduled to remain open until early October. Theatre director Matthias Lilienthal conceived the project both as a place to cool off during a record-breaking hot summer and as a political protest against declining cultural infrastructure in the city. The pool is also used by clubs and initiatives for reserved time slots.

On Friday, the pool was to be reserved for six hours, from noon to 6 p.m., for the association Each One Teach One (EOTO), which works with Black and African diaspora communities. The session was intended as a protected space for Black children and youth who experience racism in everyday life and at swimming pools.

Backlash and cancellation

When the exclusive session became public, right-wing media and AfD politicians launched a campaign calling it discriminatory against white people. The outlet Nius described the pool as an "Elite-Pool" and claimed white people were being excluded. EOTO reported receiving racist threatening emails and threats of violence. On Thursday, EOTO and the Volksbühne cancelled the event, citing safety concerns. EOTO stated it could no longer guarantee the "physical and psychological safety" of the Black, African and Afro-diasporic youth for whom the event was intended. The Volksbühne closed the pool for everyone on Friday in solidarity, and employees hung a large banner reading "Fick euch!" on the pool fence. Lilienthal said he would rebook the event and appear at the pool to discuss the issue with the public.

Political reactions

The cancellation drew sharp reactions across Berlin's political spectrum ahead of September's mayoral election. CDU culture senator and mayoral candidate Stefan Evers, who had earlier criticised the idea of distinguishing by skin colour, condemned the threats against the project.

Art may provoke. It wants and should stimulate debate.

He added that threats, intimidation and violence have no place in a free society. Green politician Claudia Roth attacked the CDU, calling them facilitators for forces that divide society. She described the campaign as not a spontaneous shitstorm but a pattern seen for months.

Right-wing media pick up a low-threshold, well-intentioned offer for Black children and youth, spin it through their outrage machine, and turn an association that fights everyday racism into an enemy overnight.

Left Party mayoral candidate Elif Eralp, the current front-runner in September's election, defended the event, noting that an association had legally booked the pool and calling the labelling of it as discrimination "very revealing." Greens candidate Werner Graf called the cancellation a scandal. SPD candidate Steffen Krach said one can debate the decision but "not at the expense of people of colour." FDP candidate Christoph Meyer argued that public spaces must bring society together, not segregate by skin colour.

Pool reopens

On Saturday at noon, the Volksbad reopened with a "solidaric swimming" initiative. Free tickets available online sold out quickly, though spontaneous visits remained possible depending on capacity. Sunday and Monday are rest days, with normal operations resuming on Tuesday.