German town bans male asylum seekers from swimming pool
German town of Bornheim bans men from an asylum shelter from a public swimming pool after increasing reports of harassment by female staff and swimmers
Men from a nearby asylum seekers' shelter reportedly harassed women at the public swimming pool
A German town near Cologne has banned male asylum seekers from a public swimming pool after several female swimmers and staff members complained of harassment.
A government official from Bornheim said that men from a nearby asylum shelter would be barred from the pool until they "got the message" that such behaviour was not acceptable.
"There have been complaints of sexual harassment and chatting-up going on in this swimming pool... by groups of young men, and this has prompted some women to leave," Borhnheim’s social affairs department head Markus Schnapka told Reuters.
He said that none of the complaints involved a crime being committed, but that social workers in Bornheim would help to ensure the asylum seekers changed their behaviour.
It is as yet unclear how this rule will be enforced, but Germany is set to introduce new ID cards for asylum seekers in February.
The decision follows outrage over hundreds of sexual assaults by men of mainly Arab and North African origin in nearby Cologne and other German cities on New Year's Eve.
On Thursday, the authorities in another town in west Germany, Rheinberg, cancelled a carnival parade planned for February over security concerns.
Rheinberg's public security chief, Jonny Strey, told German media that events in Cologne had influenced the decision and that officials were worried that men from migrant backgrounds might misbehave.
However, Rheinberg Mayor Frank Tatzel later denied such claims, according to Reuters.
Cologne authorities expressed concern about the city's own carnival in February following the New Year’s Eve attacks and pledged to step up security and public awareness.
More than 1.1 million people claimed asylum in Germany in 2015, and an opinion poll on Friday showed that 66% of the 1,203 respondents said Germany could not handle the current flow of arrivals, up from 46% in December.
Support for Chancellor Angela Merkel, under pressure over her policies to welcome refugees, has also dropped - with 39% of people agreeing the chancellor was doing a "good job" in this area, down from 47% in December.
