The Heidesee lake in Halle, Germany, has been ordered to lift its ban on non-German speakers or face legal action, following widespread criticism that the policy discriminates against entire population groups.
Policy introduced after safety incidents
The natural swimming lake, located in a flooded former open-cast mine, began checking visitors' German language skills at the entrance, refusing entry to those deemed unable to understand safety instructions. Manager Mathias Nobel said the measure was necessary after several cases where visitors ignored safety rules and lifeguards' loudspeaker announcements.
"I'm responsible for the bathing here. If anything happened, everyone would point the finger at me. You can't reverse death," Nobel told local media.
Criticism from anti-discrimination agency
A spokesperson for Germany's national anti-discrimination agency, which has been consulted and could take legal action, compared the policy to requiring German tourists in Mallorca to prove Spanish or Catalan skills before swimming.
"Imagine how much of a fuss there would be if German-speaking travellers in Mallorca had to prove their knowledge of Spanish or Catalan, or Arabic on the Red Sea, before they could go swimming?" the spokesperson said.
City demands proportional measures
The authorities in Halle have demanded Nobel drop the ban, citing a lack of proportionality. "The operator has to take into account the necessity of guaranteeing public access to the lido," a city spokesperson said in a statement. "The public character [of the lido] cannot be undermined by the implementation of house rules which amount to a blanket entry barrier for entire population groups." The authorities added: "Any action that might be perceived as xenophobic could damage the city's reputation."
Lifesaving association distances itself
Germany's life saving association, the DLRG, issued a statement firmly distancing itself from the Heidesee ban.
Far-right AfD seizes on controversy
Halle is in Saxony-Anhalt, where a state election is scheduled for September. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), leading in polls with about 42%, has used the row to advance its anti-immigrant rhetoric. In a Facebook post, the party wrote: "Our public swimming pools, once safe havens of recreation, are increasingly becoming genuine danger zones under the misguided policies of the established parties." It shared a poster with the slogan: "Those who don't understand German, stay out."
The AfD has previously used swimming pool imagery in campaign materials, including a colouring book for children featuring racist and xenophobic stereotypes, such as women in full-body veils swimming while men with knives and pistols linger in the background.
Manager denies racism, city suggests alternatives
Nobel, a trained lifeguard, denied the measure was racist or xenophobic, emphasising that the lake's depth and steeply sloping shoreline made it crucial for swimmers to understand "the German bathing rules." The city authorities have called on him to find "milder ways" to address communication issues, such as using universally understood pictograms or displaying safety messages in other languages.
