Why has a swimming day for Black children in Berlin been cancelled?

WorldPolitics
25 Aug 2026 • 12:09 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Why has a swimming day for Black children in Berlin been cancelled?

  • A swimming day in Berlin providing Black children and their families exclusive access to a pool has been cancelled following a wave of racist abuse.
  • The event, organised by the Volksbühne theatre and anti-racism project Each One Teach One, aimed to address barriers that deter Black children from swimming.
  • Right-wing politicians, including Alternative für Deutschland co-leader Alice Weidel, sparked backlash by falsely labelling the initiative as racial segregation.
  • Organisers called off the session after concluding they could no longer guarantee the safety of registered attendees following severe online incitement.
  • Hundreds of people subsequently demonstrated against anti-Black racism outside the theatre, while Berlin's anti-discrimination senator called the cancellation unacceptable.

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