Summer heat meets conflict Stress in Basel swimming pools too - police have to intervene several times
Young people from Alsace are causing trouble at several outdoor swimming pools in Basel. There is rioting, rule-breaking and police interventions. The canton responds with tougher measures.
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- There are increasing problems with young people from Alsace in Basel's open-air swimming pools, including bullying, rule-breaking and harassment.
- The canton is responding with more security staff and is examining stricter rules, but rejects access restrictions such as those in Pruntrut.
- The authorities in other Swiss cities are also relying on individual sanctions rather than blanket bans.
There are increasing problems with young guests from Alsace at several outdoor swimming pools in Basel this summer. Regular guests tell the online portal "Baseljetzt" that the atmosphere is increasingly changing. There is harassment, harassment of young women and disregard for rules such as the dress code.
The St. Jakob garden pool and the Bachgraben garden pool are particularly affected. "We no longer enjoy swimming here," the portal quotes a long-time visitor. Some guests are also trying to climb over the wall into the pool to avoid paying the entrance fee.
The canton of Basel-Stadt also confirms the incidents. Steve Beutler, head of the sports office, spoke to "Baseljetzt" of "aggressive and disrespectful behavior".
Kantn wants to increase security staff
Violations of hygiene regulations are particularly disturbing: "People go into the water without showering or keep their underpants on." The canton therefore wants to increase the number of security staff, review stricter dress codes and issue bans if necessary.
The situation came to such a head at the end of June that a large-scale police operation was carried out at the Gartenbad St. Jakob. According to theTages-Anzeigernewspaper, five patrols were deployed on June 29 to deal with a dispute between two groups. In the last five weeks, the police have had to intervene around ten times in total.
Several arrests have been made - "often, but not always" involving French citizens with a North African background, police spokesman Marcel Wyss told the Tages-Anzeiger.
However, the canton of Basel-Stadt rejects entry restrictions such as those recently imposed in Pruntrut JU, where foreign guests are no longer allowed to enter the swimming pool. "Such restrictions are currently not an issue," Head of Communications Sandra Eichenberger is quoted as saying inBlick.
According to the newspaper, other outdoor pools in Switzerland also continue to focus on equal treatment: misconduct should be punished individually, regardless of origin.
