Berlin public pool closes after brawl among youth group
**Scarcely had the holidays begun, when the first brawl occurred at a swimming pool in Berlin. Two brothers got into a fight with a 20-person youth group and were injured. The police in the capital reported that two brothers, aged 14 and 15, were hit in the face during the altercation. They reportedly got into a fight with an approximately 20-person youth group. The group's members fled before the arrival of the response units, and the police launched investigations for suspected breach of the peace and grievous bodily harm.
According to police reports, the incident occurred on a Saturday evening at a swimming pool in the Berlin district of Neukölln. The two brothers, as reported by the authorities, fled to the outdoor area of a hall and swimming pool in the Berlin Gropiusstadt after the incident. However, they were located by response units in the vicinity. The brothers refused medical treatment after consulting their legal guardians over the phone. The pool was closed prematurely due to the incident and high attendance for the day.
As reported by the "Tagesspiegel," this is the first premature closure of a Berlin swimming pool due to disturbances this year. Violent altercations between larger groups at Berlin swimming pools have long caused headlines and sparked national political debates. In the previous year, for example, the Berlin Senate announced the establishment of mobile police stations at swimming pools in response to repeated disturbances.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke out on the issue at the time and called for more police presence in the pools. CDU politician Carsten Linnemann demanded the consistent prosecution of perpetrators on the same day. "Quick proceedings against perpetrators, the justice system must be organized accordingly," Linnemann told "Bild am Sonntag" at the time. "Anyone who attacks people at the pool during the day should sit before a judge and be sentenced in the evening and on weekends."**
The incident of violence at the swimming pool in Berlin has sparked international concern, with many nations expressing interest in learning from Germany's handling of criminality at public pools. Despite the police's efforts to maintain order, instances of severe violence at such venues continue to be a concern, highlighting the need for robust strategies to combat criminality.
